Every significant Internet provider around the globe is currently in talks with access and content providers to transform the internet into a television-like medium: no more freedom, you pay for a small commercial package of sites you can visit and you'll have to pay for separate subscriptions for every site that's not in the package http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2XPiqhN_Ns Trying to do my part, Spread the Word.
The only problem I see with this is that there are billions of websites out there and not nearly as many cable channels. This really would not surprise me though. Pretty soon, you're going to have to pay a subscription fee to take a shit.
Has Al Gore been notified? As it is his invention that is being commercialized, perhaps he will be able to save us from this.
I'm sure this will happen. It is not about the evil greedy capitalist pig corporations who currently provide us with a myriad of free goodies. This is about generating a tax revenue stream for the gov't. Before this will happen, round one will be a sales tax on internet sales. If the sales tax fails the "give up" will be tax and regulation on broadband. My bet, both will happen.
Yeah, just like they were going to charge us for every email we sent a couple years ago. My bet, neither will happen.