Technically the Internet was named so because it was an "inter-network" of networks (for example, intranets.) So some subsets of the overall Internet have alway

Technically the Internet was named so because it was an "inter-network" of networks (for example, intranets.) So some subsets of the overall Internet have always been privately owned and controlled (eg., ISP's and internal company networks), and parts were more "public" or at least operated by commercial carriers who were supposedly neutral (and therefore not responsible for) payload.