"Net Neutrality",....

In one of the most visible signs of strain yet, millions of U.S. internet customers saw large swaths of the web suddenly go dark last October. The culprit wasn't an errant backhoe slicing through a fiber-optic cable or some other physical breakdown in the network. Rather, it was the result of a business dispute between Level 3 and Cogent Communications -- two of the biggest internet backbone providers in the United States.

A similar breakdown roiled internet service for PSINet customers in 2001, when Cable & Wireless temporarily severed a peering agreement.

While ISPs generally pledge to carry traffic over each other's networks, they have wide latitude to set their own policies. For example, many ISPs attempt to filter peer-to-peer traffic and spam -- tactics that often land squarely in unregulated gray zones.

Verizon, for one, is mired in a lawsuit stemming from year-and-a-half-old allegations that it improperly blockaded all e-mail from parts of Europe and Asia in a bid to cut down on spam. A settlement agreement that was close to completion was postponed earlier this month by class-action lawyers eager to investigate new allegations of e-mail blocking in the United States.

By Michael Grebb| Also by this reporter
02:00 AM May, 31, 2006
WASHINGTON -- "Net neutrality" could be the most potent rallying cry for internet regulation in years.

Wired news story,..