Say you've got a land full of city states. Verizon-town, Comcast-town, AT&T-town, etc etc.

There is one or more superhighway running into each -town. These super-highways generally meet at an 'interconnect point' or 'peering point.' All of the towns build their own highways to the peering points, and because they all have generally the same amount of traffic trying to go back and forth, they don't really charge each other for them.

There are multiple peering points for various reasons.

Now, if I'm understanding correctly, Netflix-town (think small factory town, like) built a superhighway to a peering point that didn't happen to have a superhighway to Verizon-town. So they argued over who should build that superhighway.

In the mean time, traffic from Netflix-town to Verizon-town had to pass through other towns first, with predictable results.

Netflix has now gotten around to building a superhighway to a peering point that Verizon-town is connected to, and HOLY SHIT, suddenly they can move a ton of traffic into Verizon-town.

But Netflix doesn't take data from Verizon-town, like, say, another large ISP might, so why would Verizon-town pay to build said superhighway?

This isn't net neutrality; that would be the creation and sale of toll-roads *within* the various towns. Once Netflix-town's trucks hit Verizon-town's border, they get on the Verizon-town streets to their ultimate destination, same as everybody else. This just improves Netflix's ability to get delivery trucks to Verizon-town's borders.

They should be using Tau.

It really would be for the greater good.

I'm going to give a qualified 'no' to this one. I'm a network engineer, this IS my business

I'm a network engineer, who does microwave backhauls (licensed and unlicensed), myself. And it's an unqualified no. And although you say it's a qualified no, you then go on to explain all the reasons it doesn't work. :-)

There is zero way to get useful, reliable gigabit speeds over a wireless LAN setup, or over BoP. The spectrum and SnR just aren't there.

Even licensed links have issues getting gig+ speeds. The usual method is xpic setups, clean Fresnel zones, licensed frequency, huge dishes, and you still have to contend with rain fade and the like.

Hell, freespace optic wouldn't work for the guy, unless he was willing to drill holes in walls, hope nobody tall walked past, etc etc.

No, the only way to get gigabit speed in the house is through wires.

He asked, "Is there a better way to achieve a truly gigabit internal connection without substantial structural or wiring modifications?"

And the answer is an unqualified 'no.'