Does it matter who owns search?

As Google grows bigger and Microsoft looks to buy Yahoo one can wonder if it matters who owns the ability to search the Internet. We can access the Internet without searching it and searching does not influence the results, does it? The power and importance of the Internet is the ability to pull together information from anywhere and that is done with search. If the owners of the search engines become fewer what is to stop them from deciding that sites need to pay to be on their site and not only for ad listing? news from Yahoo , your general search from Google and love the ability to ask questions of the Internet with Ask.com Next month I will write about how you can use alternatives to search engines to get even more form the Interment.