This is an example of the stopped clock phenomenon.
The internet would not exist (or at least would have been created much later and be at a much less developed state than it now is) were it not for government:
- The backbone of the internet grew from the ARPA-net, developed by DOD's ARPA (now DARPA).
- Most of the early file-transmission protocols (like Gopher and FTP) were developed at state universities.
- The basis of the shift that turned the primitive internet into the world wide web was laid at CERN (funded by the Swiss government).
The fact that there are a few salutary roles for government in promoting economic growth besides providing a stable currency and fairly enforcing contracts -- in this instance promoting applied research and development when it is far from commercial viability, but also including promoting basic research, creating utility easements, acquiring rights-of-way for transportation infrastructure, providing postal service, and a few others -- cannot be taken as indicating government, rather than the private sector, is the engine of economic growth, as Obama would foolishly argue.
The argument against the statist position must be that state action is salutary only in circumstances where the market does not operate effectively (e.g. to support research very far from commercial application, or in utility-like circumstances where a natural monopoly must be created and regulated), but these are far and few between, and not the norm in commercial activity.