quoting paraphrase from someone else:
"For years Cable and Phone companies have been trying to split the internet into a two-tier system.
The two tiers would restrict access to some sites much like a toll booth restricts roads, that is, Surfers would need to pay to access them.
The top tier, a "Pay-to-Play" high-speed toll-road restricted internet, would only be registered by internet giants able to afford to pay the
high fees associated with preferential access to the Net.
The bottom tier - the slow lane - would be what is left for everyone else. If the fast lane is the information 'super-highway,' the slow lane
will operate like a dirt road. The topic was debated in the WWW2006 meetings, where it remains an issue."
Source: news.bbc.co.uk