There most certainly is an internet backbone. The backbone is the the group of Tier 1 providers in a specific country. Tier 1 providers have settlement-free pee

There most certainly is an internet backbone. The backbone is the the group of Tier 1 providers in a specific country. Tier 1 providers have settlement-free peering with all the other Tier 1 providers in their country[1][2][3]. At any rate a new ISP wouldn't need to do paid peering they would simply buy transit from a Tier 1 or Tier 2 provider. [1] https://drpeering.net/FAQ/Who-are-the-Tier-1-ISPs.php https://drpeering.net/FAQ/Who-are-the-Tier-1-ISPs.php [2] https://www.thousandeyes.com/learning/techtorials/isp-tiers https://www.thousandeyes.com/learning/techtorials/isp-tiers [3] https://drpeering.net/FAQ/What-is-a-Tier-1-ISP.php https://drpeering.net/FAQ/What-is-a-Tier-1-ISP.php