..it's one thing to charge users an access fee, another to charge the ISP, potentially passing the cost on to all the ISPs subscribers whether they're interested in the content or not.
Ironically, the issue came to fore in a complaint from the The American Cable Association (ACA) to the FCC. A quoted ACA press release warns
"Media giants are in the early stages of becoming Internet gatekeepers by requiring broadband providers to pay for their Web-based content and services and include them as part of basic Internet access for all subscribers. These content providers are also preventing subscribers who are interested in the content from independently accessing it on broadband networks of providers that have refused to pay."
So is this a real threat to net neutrality (and the end-to-end principle) or just another bad business model that doesn't stand a chance?
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary saftey deserve neither liberty not saftey." -- Benjamin Franklin, 1759