Interesting article on the BBC. Who is really in charge of the internet? US laws to clamp down on online gaming show that the internet can be controlled, argues Bill Thompson. More on http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5412980.stm
Well that is very simple: the United States basically controls the internet. There's no one individual or corporation that does, really just the US government. I'm not sure how internet service providers and web hosts play a part in it though, or if they get any say...I'm pretty sure that they're just businesses that abide to US government standards and policies, that's all.
The internet is controlled by the people right now, but if the big corps/government get their way, it will fall totally under their control. The internet is democratic because no one really owns it. Some people can claim the US owns it because they created the foundation to it, and there is a lot of truth in this. I personally don't like to gamble, but I think the US law against gambling is BS. People should be allowed to gamble if they want, and I think the government is simply trying to regulate something that they cannot easily tax. The people own the internet now, but if the government/big corps take control, the internet will die, or become like cable television.