A few years ago the internet was mainly about e-mails and browsing simple webpages. Today it is about downloading movies and music, making free phone calls or playing live video games with someone on the other side of the world. All you need is a broadband connection.
But this explosion of content might not last if some telecoms providers have their way.
The glue that holds together the vast internet wilderness - the principle of network neutrality, whereby every bit of data traffic is treated equally and carried without prejudice - is under attack.
Owners of the backbone, which enables new digital applications, say they are fed up of giving free rides as costs mount and new bandwidth-heavy applications proliferate. They want the rules changed.
In the pivotal United States market, telecoms and cable operators are lobbying the government to change the 1996 Telecommunications Act so their traffic is given priority. This could create a two-speed internet. Content providers who want to get into the fast lane would have to pay for it.
Sites that can pay - rather than the best ones - win out.
