Title: Do we really need the Internet? | InfoWorld
Headings: Do we really need the Internet?
The Deep End
Do we really need the Internet?
One FCC commissioner appears to think that we don't, but perhaps he doesn't understand the question

Content: The Internet plays a prominent role in all of our lives today, even those of us who do not access the Internet directly. Our livelihoods depend on it. Whether that’s in the form of a payment processor that receives payroll instructions via a portal and cuts a check, a pharmacy that fills a prescription via a central database connected via the Internet, a support tech that connects to the corporate help desk from home, or the fact that more and more companies are only accepting job applications and resumes online, the Internet is entwined in everyone’s lives now, in a million different ways. The Internet is not limited to last-mile connections. It's not the shenanigans that mobile carriers are playing with data plans and throttling. It’s not the back-and-forth jousting of the big ISPs trying to get a nickel from every bit they pass, coming and going, and threatening to shut out companies that refuse to tithe. It's not memes and cat pictures -- it’s now everything . And as stated in point No. 1, it cannot be stopped. So yes, commissioner, the Internet is a necessity, and it must remain as neutral as possible in order to serve its necessary purpose.