How do we keep the internet as accessible as possible?

Hi all!

I'm a student writing a longform journalism article about the internet and the challenges/struggles in keeping it as democratized and accessible as possible (certainly a relevant topic given the upcoming FCC announcement about net neutrality). It was inspired by a talk in one of my other classes by Andrew McLaughlin. Since, I've been talking to comp sci professors, looking into IETF, the internet society, and learning about how changes to the internet get made, and by whom.

I think I'm trying to explore how each part of the internet, from like ISPs to IETF to just regular internet users contribute or detract from the ultimate goal of the internet (which I'm assuming is to connect people).

Particularly interesting to me: open source software, the monopolistic hold that big tech giants basically have on the internet, the difficulties in implementing research. But also, how accessible and available /should/ the internet be to everyone?

So far, I'd love input and opinions about this topic -- any leads for sources or people who would be best to interview about this.

Thanks, y'all!