INTERNET DEATH WATCH: 100% Of Net Neutrality Supporters Their Elections

You can kiss your unlimited, uncensored, unthrottled and open internet service goodbye. All 95 candidates that supported the FCC's Net Neutrality bill were defeated on Tuesday.

Before Tuesday's midterm elections, there were 95 House and Senate candidates who pledged support for Net neutrality, a bill that would force Internet providers to not charge users more for certain kinds of Web content. All of them lost -- and that could mean the contentious proposal may now be all but dead. The Federal Communications Commission tried to implement Net neutrality rules but got smacked down in April by a court ruling saying it did not have the authority to do so. As a result, it is preparing a proposal asking Congress to give it new authority to regulate broadband Internet service. If passed, the Net neutrality law would require Internet providers like phone and cable companies to treat all Web content equally. They would prevent providers from restricting access to certain sites or applications, or collecting fees to deliver some sites faster than others.

In August a coalition of GOP and Tea Party candidates formed to oppose Net Neutrality, arguing that it was good for business to allow internet providers to charge customers more to access the sites of their competitors. And if you're unwilling to pay a surcharge to access, for example, Hulu from a Comcast connection, rather than NBC, which they own, then Comcast is perfectly entitled to throttle the speed of Hulu's signal. Time-Warner Cable, likewise, could charge you more to read online magazines that aren't in their 150-title portfolio.