Leave it to Larry Lessig to sum up the net neutrality discussion:

Now Congress faces a legislative decision. Will we reinstate net neutrality and keep the Internet free? Or will we let it die at the hands of network owners itching to become content gatekeepers? The implications of permanently losing network neutrality could not be more serious. The current legislation, backed by companies such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, would allow the firms to create different tiers of online service. They would be able to sell access to the express lane to deep-pocketed corporations and relegate everyone else to the digital equivalent of a winding dirt road. Worse still, these gatekeepers would determine who gets premium treatment and who doesn’t.

No Tolls on The Internet, By Lawrence Lessig and Robert W. McChesney, Washington Post, Thursday, June 8, 2006; Page A23

It’s that last sentence that is the real rub. We’ve always had different speed connections to the Internet. What could happen now is that telcos could decide who gets which speed and which quality of service based on who they are and what content they are providing, not just on whether they can pay the price.