Here's yet another reason why the U.S. should make sure it gets its highspeed internet access policy right:  the rest of the world is watching. 

The same forces that are combining to control the internet in the U.S. -- law enforcement, incumbent network providers, the content industry -- have the same incentives in other countries.  It's very convenient for them, politically, to point to what the U.S. is doing.  So, say you're in India and policy now requires open access be provided to competitive ISPs.  You can point to the U.S., if you're an incumbent Indian telephone company, and say "see, in the U.S. they're not doing this.  Why should we?"

If we go backwards, if we give up on the idea of the neutral internet which has prompted such explosive economic growth and transformed lives all over the world, we'll be leading the rest of the world backwards as well.  Why would we do that?

For whatever reason, people around the world still watch what the U.S. does in the communications realm.  We need to be conscious that we still have the remains of a leadership position in the world.  We really need to get this right.