The pair will be given the Presidential Medal of Freedom along with 12 other recipients in a ceremony at the White House on Wednesday.
The two men co-created the basic networking protocol, called TCP/IP, that keeps the net running to this day.
Politicians, generals, entertainers and astronauts have been awarded the honour in the past.
The medal is generally given to those that have made exceptional contributions to America's security, to world peace or had a significant impact on the cultural life of the nation through their efforts.