The Internet's breakthrough to primetime usage beginning in the mid-1990s evolved in an era of openness. Unfettered access seemed key to Internet development. An important foundation for the 1996 Telecommunications Act was the theory that the telecom industry would work best if it were free of government regulation, a guiding principle that has continued through to the current administration. However, try as the government might to avoid regulatory roadblocks, the Internet has been regulated from the beginning. Not only the government, but also nonprofit organizations and private industry have their hand in regulation. Certain regulations may involve or affect all three types of regulating entities, and within each entity there can be substantial infighting over issues. This article is primarily about government regulation, but examples of regulation from the other regulating entities are provided. It also introduces efforts at regulating at a global level, an exponentially difficult challenge. (Contains 2 notes.)