Who owns the internet ?

Not many of us think about this often, but who really owns the internet ? The internet is owned by everyone in the world, except the glue that binds them together is owned by the US. Here's a snippet from Wired

With the advances in the new century and the way technology is a great equalizer, I think its time to relase control. Don't you think so Uncle Sam ?

A senior U.S. official rejected calls for a U.N. body to take over control of the main computers that direct traffic on the internet, reiterating U.S. intentions to keep its historical role as the medium's principal overseer.

Many countries, particularly developing ones, have become increasingly concerned about the U.S. control, which stems from the country's role in creating the internet as a Pentagon project and funding much of its early development.

Some negotiators from other countries said there was a growing sense that a compromise had to be reached and that no single country ought to be the ultimate authority over such a vital part of the global economy.

A stalemate over who should serve as the principal traffic cops for internet routing and addressing could derail the U.N. World Summit on the Information Society, which aims to ensure a fair sharing of the internet for the benefit of the whole world