How the cable industry is trying to reshape the economics of the Internet

If the cable industry gets its way, it'll enjoy tremendous advantages when it comes to the economics of the Internet. Here's how:

1) Arguing against new federal broadband standards to raise minimum download speed for broadband from 4Mbps to 25Mbps.
2) Resisting regulation of the middle-mile Internet: "Internet traffic exchange presents distinct issues and considerations that are not part of the open Internet debate," Comcast wrote in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission, arguing that the middle-mile Internet is a competitive marketplace with a lot of providers that doesn't need greater oversight. How this debate plays out could determine which companies foot the bill for exchanging traffic -- and if it's a shared arrangement, what the balance looks like. And that could have consequences for what you, the consumer, see on your bills.
3) A new way to make phone calls: Cablevision announced that it's launching a service called Freewheel, a $30-a-month cellular plan that uses only Wi-Fi to make calls.