Alternatively, the idea that the internet should be treated as a public utility could be extended to include certain fundamental core services: search and email, for instance. The server space could just be maintained by tax revenue, or through flat billing. Google would still be available, but additionally, so would a rigorously maintained ad-free option, supported not by profits but by state contributions.

The model of complementary public and private options, as exists in healthcare in many countries, might be an ideal way to carve out space for ad-free and low-cost access.