But that's the point of the article. The regulation that makes it even impossible for Google to do it, means we aren't dealing with anywhere near a free market that can benefit from competition. Perhaps we should address that regulation first before adding regulation to correct for results of other regulation.
No, but it prevents ISPs from blocking upstart competitors. Without NN an ISP can slow down a competitor's site or prevent access to a competitor's website or any website that advertises them or any advertisement they might run. Will they do that? I don't know. It would be easy to hide under a cable package model, and I certainly don't trust ISPs to offer any consumer protection.