The Economics of the Internet

Printed Page 273

One of the unique things about the Internet is that no one owns it—but that hasn’t stopped some corporations from trying to control it. Companies have realized the potential of dominating the Internet through access to phone and broadband wires, browser software, search engines, and, perhaps most important, advertising; however, throughout the Internet’s relatively short history, several companies have risen and fallen trying to control a medium characterized by few regulations and a strong entrepreneurial ethic.