Google and Verizon, two leading players in Internet service and content, are nearing an agreement that could allow Verizon to speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content\u2019s creators are willing to pay for the privilege.<\/p>\n
The charges could be paid by companies, like YouTube, owned by Google, for example, to Verizon, one of the nation\u2019s leading Internet service providers, to ensure that its content received priority as it made its way to consumers. The agreement could eventually lead to higher charges for Internet users.<\/p>\n
Such an agreement could overthrow a once-sacred tenet of Internet policy known as net neutrality, in which no form of content is favored over another. In its place, consumers could soon see a new, tiered system, which, like cable television, imposes higher costs for premium levels of service.<\/p>\n