The question is: are the networks public, and therefore conduits for competition, or private, and therefore competitive infrastructure. In some capacity, the networks have to peer to hit all of the IP blocks, but that's pretty much one of the better examples of free market success (although that might be changing) and arguably quite private. In another narrative, the networks were laid with private investment (in many cases partially public funded as well) and so the question is moot (if it's all private money).

Are the networks public or private and why can't we decide?