Network operators, the gatekeepers of the internet, will often say something like this:

Sure, we'll leave the 'public internet' alone.  We just want to be able to apply differentiated prices to our private network - we're investing a lot in installing fiber, and we need to be able to recoup our investment.

Lots of people understand this argument. Maybe the "public internet" will be a little slower, but it will still be there.  Won't it?

Think about it.  If somehow there's a line drawn by an operator between the machines it uses for the "public" part and the "private" part, what incentive will a provider have to maintain the "public" machines? 

There's a cautionary tale out there about how one telephone company, Verizon, seems to treat its old-fashioned copper wires.  A lot of people depend on copper to make phone calls.  The Communication Workers of America are claiming that Verizon has essentially abandoned longterm maintenance on its copper phone lines in Virginia.  They're flooded with complaints that Verizon is directing its resources towards installing (unregulated) fiber optic lines instead of fixing the old copper connections.

Verizon, for its part, steadfastly denies the CWA claims.