If Verizon, Uunet, Sprint (Internet backbone carriers) could charge Netflix and multiple other aggregators of content a 20% premium to respect QoS (quality of service) markings on their packets, and if the ISP’s (AT&T, Comcast etc.) could charge that same 20% to respect QoS, the entire consumer world changes, as well as the industry.
Voice and Video could be delivered across the internet in a quality fashion, without contention from other uses.
Video aggregators will emerge that let you select JUST the channels you want to watch and those would have to be priced competitively as their market will be nationwide.
Tired of paying for Telemundo? Fixed.
The internet would also carry all voice traffic, as it carries it in the backbone now.But it will be how you get phone service at home and in the office and between cell towers.
Such a move would eliminate the traditional telephone network, probably making voice services essentially free. It would also eliminate the death grip cable TV providers have on the subscribers...forcing the purchase of “packages”, instead of just the 2 channels you want. It will eliminate their networks as well.
The efficiencies and economies of scale will drive down prices for everyone on multiple services, and increase choice.
If I understand your argument, absent net neutrality, ISPs would be allowed to charge a premium to certain content providers and theoretically they wo9uld reduce pricing for certain types of consumers/users. In a word and based on their track records, I will never trust an ISP to do the right thing. They are monopolies in my view.
The problem I see is that in too many markets, ISP competition is none existent or prices are fixed between competitors.
Some years back, Pennsylvania passed legislation that allowed consumers to select their 'electricity' suppliers from anywhere in the U.S. That was and it remains one of the best pro-consumer pieces of legislation passed by any state IMHO. The same needs to be done with ISPs, i.e., separate ISP service from ISP infrastructure and allow any ISP to sell its service in any market. This is feasible but it will take state legislatures doing the right thing on behalf of consumers.