As a general rule, Computing is wary of calls for regulation. But the case of net neutrality could be an exception.

In a nutshell, the take-off of massively high-bandwidth internet content such as voice over IP and video streaming is putting such pressure on internet capacity that service providers could start to charge a premium for web sites with certain types of content.

At one level, the move is little more than the natural balancing of supply and demand.

But there are more worrying implications, and not only for firms such as Google, which relies on surfers’ unfettered access to the thousands of small companies that advertise through its search results.

The internet would not be what it is, were it not open to all. And the result is more than simply a dedicated web page for every person and their cat.

The web has signalled a complete change of the ground rules for business. The cost of entry to many markets has dropped to almost nothing. And firms have sprung up to cater for everything from the worldwide commodity to the ‘long tail’ niche.

A two-tier internet, in contrast, favours companies with deep pockets, entrenches existing dominance,and undermines the very innovation and competition that is the source of the internet’s revolutionary impact.

To an extent, the internet is a victim of its own success. But in the root of the problem also lies the key to its solution.

It is because of explosive growth, fuelled by competitive innovation, that the existing infrastructure is no longer up to the job.

Rather than being sidetracked by worthy philosophical debates about the nature of freedom, the IT community must focus on the nuts and bolts.

The priority is to upgrade the infrastructure so it can cope with the demands placed upon it.

In the meantime, if regulation is the only way to ensure the internet’s playing field remains open, free and fair, then Computing would, in such circumstances, support it. Business has too much to lose.