[wtmcc]

> The only real restriction is that fast lanes can’t be offered exclusively to a company also owned by the cable or phone company.

This fast lane already exists, and it exists for the cable company itself.

E.g. Comcast’s digital television (including Netflix-rivaling “Xfinity” on-demand service) is delivered over bandwidth that is dedicated/statically allocated to serving their entertainment package.

Worse still, Comcast’s data also has a dedicated backhaul. Live TV is collected from satellite feeds at a local “headend” facility, and on-demand content is likely cached close to the user à la Netflix Open Connect.