[supercanuck]

I'm sure there are companies who would provide that service without requiring ownership

[baddox]

Kind of like automobiles, which are widely owned by private individuals.

[azurelogic]

Yes, and they could even rent you the modem to use with the service! /sarcasm

That's basically an ISP. You pay someone to make sure you stay connected. Then they become corrupt and try to find new ways to make more money on the deal.

[adamnemecek]

Not really no, since you break up the 'pipeline' to be owned by multiple entities. Replacing one entity in said pipeline is easier if each of them controls a smaller chunk of the pipeline.