Here's a fascinating article by Stephen D. Crocker, one of the early architects of the internet.  How the Internet Got It's Rules.

Crocker talks about the culture of openness that was built into the process from the beginning:

[The internet's founding documents] ranged from grand visions to mundane details, although the latter quickly became the most common. Less important than the content of those first documents was that they were available free of charge and anyone could write one. Instead of authority-based decision-making, we relied on a process we called “rough consensus and running code.” Everyone was welcome to propose ideas, and if enough people liked it and used it, the design became a standard.

It's that openness that laid the foundation for the free and innovative net we have today.  No one owns it, and no one entity can dictate how it works.

I've always thought that we're incredibly lucky the internet developed the way it has.  Sure, there are problems:  Insufficient security, potential bottlenecks, whatever.  But imagine how things could have developed.  What if the internet had been run by AT&T?  Or worse, by the US government?  (I know the government provided early funding, but they didn't try to impose rules as to how things worked.)  Is it even possible that such a network would have grown to contain the enormous quantities of content and services we have today?  Fat chance!

Crocker also gives some advice for the wider economy:

As we rebuild our economy, I do hope we keep in mind the value of openness, especially in industries that have rarely had it. Whether it’s in health care reform or energy innovation, the largest payoffs will come not from what the stimulus package pays for directly, but from the huge vistas we open up for others to explore.

Here here!