And it's not just about streaming video or VOIP. What if some Internet providers put a throttle on videoconferencing we use for meetings? What if they slap limits on specialized technologies we use for supply chain management or customer support? What happens when the CEO can't connect to the VPN from home?

We need an Internet that's an open pipe. And we need that for our users, our business partners and everyone else on the Internet, too. This is infrastructure our businesses depend on.

Some groups, including those that sponsored that consumer survey, want Congress to pass a law requiring broadband providers to provide an open pipe. That sends a chill through big telcos and cable companies, which insist that a new law regulating broadband is unnecessary. Some, like Verizon Communications, say they already provide an open Internet pipe. Good for them. But that's not enough.

If open-pipe broadband providers don't want Congress poking its nose in, it's time for them to start pressuring their competitors to stop blocking or limiting Internet traffic. Industry self-regulation may sound like a pipe dream, but they'd better hope it works.

Because if broadband players don't start working hard to keep the Internet pipe open, they may lose control of the plumbing.