Internet
The Internet is a global network of interconnected smaller computer networks. Data is transmitted in small packets using the Internet Protocol (IP) where they are then reassembled. It originated in the work of DARPA, a research division of the US Army.
The Internet is sometimes also known as "cyberspace." Sometimes it is inaccurately referred to as the Web or the World Wide Web, because the Web is only one of numerous protocols that operate on the Internet.
The common protocol used to access websites (including this one) is the Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The creator of this is Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who recently in an online magazine article claimed that given the opportunity, he wouldn't use the HTTP format for websites. Berners-Lee is currently the director of the W3 Consortium (World Wide Web Consortium).
Ted Stevens famously referred to the internet as "a series of tubes" during a panel on network neutrality. While the statement was technically inaccurate, it is a reasonable depiction of the internet as an interconnected system to a lay person. The internet is formed from two basic elements, routers and connections. A router is basically a small computer that acts like a switching station, similar to the pumping stations of public water utilities. The connections are the pipes themselves, acting as a means to move packets from one router to another, and eventually from server to client.
Controversy
Although the Internet has been shown to contain valuable information, its popularity has spread largely through hosting of pornographic or otherwise vulgar material. Therefore, some conservatives would like to see tighter controls on the Internet which would limit what can be hosted and what can be downloaded.