How to build a totally uncontrolled internet?

My Mexican friend is convinced that the Internet is a tool used by governments to control people. I tend to believe that it's a tool and everybody uses it for different means: governments to control, people to communicate, oppositions to get organized (e.g. Arab spring) and so on.

Maybe governments in the end prevail and whatever we do online will be used against us when and if needed. If that happens how are we people going to respond? Can we build a private/free Internet not controlled by anyone.

Let aside any conspiracy theory or political discussion, I am just curios about: is this possible and how do we do it?

I assume that the weak link is data transmission. Telecoms and satellite are probably not safe ways to transmit data the governments don't like. So what is left? Airwaves? These are controllable too, right?

So a free internet will depend entirely on a good encryption method?

I'm sure there's a lot of material online about this but I wanted to ask you guys first as I am interested in the technical details of it and you can give me a very unique perspective.

Thanks!