Today's New York Times editorial Tollbooths On The Internet Highway is a good explanation of the need to keep the Internet free of corporate control and preserve what is called "net neutrality."

When you use the Internet today, your browser glides from one Web site to another, accessing all destinations with equal ease. That could change dramatically, however, if Internet service providers are allowed to tilt the playing field, giving preference to sites that pay them extra and penalizing those that don't.