President Obama just lumped the Internet in with trains, bridges and Keystone XL. Here’s why that’s a big deal.

In one part of the State of the Union, President Barack Obama mentions the Internet in the same breath as other forms of US infrastructure. This is a bigger deal than you might think.

"21st century businesses need 21st century infrastructure — modern ports, stronger bridges, faster trains and the fastest Internet," the President said. "Let’s pass a bipartisan infrastructure plan that could create more than 30 times as many jobs per year, and make this country stronger for decades to come."

Lumping the country's Internet onramps in with roads and bridges is a significant rhetorical move, laying a kind of governmental claim over these types of commercial conduits. It helps justify Obama's recent calls for new rules on Internet providers and his proposal that federal regulators have a role to play in helping cities build and sell their own Internet service.