Introduction

Google and Verizon have become central players in the debate about the future of "net neutrality," the principle that Internet service providers like Verizon should not be allowed to favor content providers who pay for faster transmission. On Monday, the two companies issued a joint policy framework on how Internet service should be regulated. They called on the Federal Communications Commission to enforce net neutrality on the open Internet, but they exempted wireless broadband and new Internet services like new forms of entertainment.

Can or should government enforce net neutrality in a Web 3.0 world where more content is accessed through mobile devices like the iPad? How would a two-tiered system change content creation, innovation or access to the Web? Are fears of allowing big players like Google to pay for speed overblown?