Effects on Bitcoin of usage-based Internet pricing

[rgzen]

Hello,
The other day I read a new about the intention of the Federal Communications Commission of support an usage-based Internet pricing:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/22/cableshow-fcc-idUSL1E8GMBAT20120522

Some days later I have relate it with the future of bitcoin economy.
My question is: What would happen if the internet usage become in charges?

What would the people do with their nodes or clients?
I know that the bandwidth allocation of executing the bitcoin nodes isn't a lot, but it could be an extra "fee" for bitcoin users that want to do a transaction.

[Yuhfhrh]

Hopefully if something like this does happen, someone will stick around with unlimited still.

[Stephen Gornick]

What would the people do with their nodes or clients?

A Bitcoin node hits maybe 100MB a day.  Or about the same as a half a dozen Youtube music videos.

Users of Electrum or other lite clients consume a trivial amount of bandwidth.

My question is: What would happen if the internet usage become in charges?

The internet would see that as damage and route around it.

And the rerouting won't be just because of price, but also to protect privacy and prevent censorship.

Wireless technology lets a metropolitan-wide mesh network compete against an ISPs.  These can be privately run or community operated.  Wireless mesh, with point-to-point links to extend coverage,are allowing these networks to reach over a thousand square miles.

The technology is either here now or approaching production-level status, depending on the features and costs targets.

Just as Bitcoin is a method that disintermediates the banks, the Free Network Foundation and Project Meshnet and Commotion Wireless even are methods that disintermediate the ISPs.

 - http://www.FreeNetworkFoundation.org
 - https://www.ProjectMeshnet.org
 - https://CommotionWireless.net

[teknomunk]

And as long as the incumbents don't legislate away the ability to start new ISPs, then somebody will pop up to fill the desire for unlimited internet access plans, even if everybody else goes to usage based billing.  Even if they do prohibit new ISPs, there will always be some outlaws to fill the gap.