The Internet has long adhered to one basic principle: Nobody's in charge.
That hallmark owes to the Internet's grand design. It's basically a global confederation of unrelated computers, making it impervious to hurricanes, earthquakes and other disasters. Hackers regularly attack, but can't shut it down. Governments, try as they might, also can't control it.
That doesn't mean the Internet is meddle-proof.
Its Achilles' heel: Internet service providers, or ISPs. They control the on-off ramps used by millions to enter and exit the World Wide Web each day. Access is typically provided by phone and cable TV companies, via upgraded phone lines and high-speed cable-TV modems.
Currently, the only thing stopping ISPs from abusing their control are four "Internet principles" – voluntary guidelines, which are subject to interpretation.
Now, the Federal Communications Commission wants to turn those guidelines into hard rules and extend them to wireless, and that's creating a heated debate across the USA about "net neutrality" – the idea that all Internet service providers should treat all traffic on their networks the same.
The goal: to preserve the Internet as a free and open communications platform that's open to all but controlled by none. That was the original goal of the Internet's creators more than 40 years ago.
The FCC's rules, which will be finalized by spring, would amount to an online Bill of Rights for Internet users, says Ben Scott, public policy director of Free Press, a consumer advocacy group in Washington. "This is the policy that will shape the future of the Internet," he says.
Joel Kelsey, public policy adviser for Consumers Union, agrees. Net neutrality "is about trying to preserve the unbroken, wonderful model of the Internet," he says.
The Web is a Wild West of millions. Software houses, app developers, garage entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes, from King Kongs such as Google to home-based start-ups, give the Internet its personality and pizazz. There are currently more than 230 million websites and billions of individual Web pages.
The ISP community, in sharp contrast, is more akin to the NFL – power concentrated in the hands of a few.
Just six phone and cable TV companies control 65% of the USA's 80.9 million broadband users, according to a new report by tech researcher Forrester. The top four – AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner– dominate, with around 46%. A mix of smaller players (phone, cable, satellite