I just set up skype on my computer to talk to my mother in law in Qatar. She is a Georetown professor currently working there.
Before she left I recommended that she get a vonage account with a local number so that we could save some money. She did this, but Vonage is blocked by the Govenment of qatar. She set up Skype and that works for Skype to regular numbers, but it does cost about 1.5 cents a minute. Not bad, but the option for computer to computer Skype communication at no additional charge is blocked to the average user in Qatar as well as Vonage.
Vonage (we have not tested skype) will work on some less regulated networks that are not available to the public in Qatar.
This leads me to my point: If we do not ensure Network Neutrality we will likely face similar censorship imposed by corporate, government or price regulations.
If you have an internet account, you have paid the telecom companies for banwidth. Google has paid for the amount of bandwidth they use, and unless Markos' neighbor has an unsecured network he is paying for bandwidth.
If the current push to price the internet passes, what will occur? The ISPs (cable, sattelite and telco) will increase their profits at a greater expense to the average user (who happens to pays a higher tax rate). Additionally the telecom companies have demonstrated a willingness to collude with the government in violation of the law and privacy agreements to allow the government to keep tabs, and will likely participate in censorship if similarly pressed.
I will leave you with one question:
If you are an At&t customer and you are looking for an honest comparison of internet services using your At&t internet accont, do you think that At&t will impair sites that have negative comments?
Will you save the Internet?