By “regulation of some sort” I was referring to the throttling that ISPs do in the course of their business to ensure the maximum service for the maximum amount of users, and related agreements with larger content providers and end users.
I guess that’s the old-school definition of “regulation”, not the new one that infers only government can do it.
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2010/12/red-tape-under-the-tree-fcc-plans-internet-regulation-for-christmas#_ftn7 _________________ From avove link: “While the FCC plan would not bar all discrimination, it would vest vast discretion in the FCC to determine what is allowed and what is not. Critical decisions as to what is permitted and what is not would be left to the political whims of five FCC members. At best, that will create an unpredictable atmosphere, with firms left unsure whether their activities will be deemed acceptable. At worst, it will lead to abuse and political game-playing.
Level 3
Case in point: Earlier this month, communications provider Level 3 got into a business spat with Comcast over how much it will pay, if anything, Comcast to handle traffic from Level 3’s network. Such negotiations are common among networks, and the longstanding system of private interconnection agreements has worked quite well. Yet Level 3 claimed that Comcast’s request for payment to carry Level 3’s traffic violates net neutrality rules. The claim caused a political stir that promises to help Level 3 in its ongoing negotiations. The incident is likely a harbinger of rent-seeking to come under a net neutrality regime, as firms—as well as political advocates of all stripes—use vague neutrality rules to advance their interests.[7] http://www.multichannel.com/blog/BIT_RATE/31830-Level_3_Plays_Politics_In_Internet_Peering_Spat_With_Comcast.php
The overall result would be bad news not just for Web surfers but also for the economy as a whole. Investment in broadband today is one of the few bright spots of the economy, with providers expected to invest some $30 billion per year in private capital into their networks annually for the next five years, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. Neutrality rules would threaten that investment and those jobs by hindering efficient network management and creating uncertainty.
Charles M. Davidson and Brett T. Swanson, “Net Neutrality, Investment and Jobs: Assessing the Potential Impacts of the FCC’s Proposed Net Neutrality Rules on the Broadband Ecosystem,” Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute, June 2010, at http://www.nyls.edu/user_files/1/3/4/30/83/Davidson%20&%20Swanson%20-%20NN%20Economic%20Impact%20Paper%20-%20FINAL.pdf (December 17, 2010).