Net neutrality takes a small twist

BellSouth CTO Bill Smith wants to be able to charge web companies for supplying bandwidth or priority.

He is stuck in the notion that it is Yahoo! or Google using the pipes, not the consumer, who is in fact paying his DSL or cable bill. Just the same opinion we had from his AT&T colleague Ed Whitacre. Smith applies a small twist only: instead of threatening to block, he takes a more positive approach and wants to charge. But really, it's the same thing.

I stick to my (adjusted) opinion: as long as there is no choice and only one or two pipes are running into my home, I believe ISPs should not be allowed to act as gatekeepers.
Now, Verizon and SBC were held to this net neutrality principle for two years only. Maybe by then do we have additional pipes: BoS, WiMAX, muniBB, BiG, BPL, ...