Consumers also suspect that broadband companies aren't exactly gung-ho about keeping that Internet pipe open. A majority of survey respondents said they fear that broadband vendors will cripple or block access to things like streaming video and voice over IP if they compete with the broadband vendor's services.

Are these consumers paranoid? Nope. And their concerns should also worry corporate IT.

See, consumers get kicked around a lot more than corporate IT. And consumers are more inclined to try things on the Internet that we won't touch until they're a lot more mature.

So those consumers will give VOIP a shot. They see a Vonage commercial, or their nerdy nephew sets them up with Skype. Then they compare notes with friends and relatives on how well it works. They get suspicious if it runs fine when they're at Uncle Fred's house for a visit but keeps breaking up when they're at home.

Or they'll watch streaming video that plays fine at work but just staggers along at home. When a sympathetic help desk guy tells them a DSL or cable modem should be plenty fast for watching that video, they begin to think maybe their broadband pipe is getting choked.