I think a lot of people are understanding [the move] as the internet as we know it is going to disappear and AOL is the beginning of a slide into that happening.

By suddenly offering a two-tier system, AOL guarantees that over time those using the free delivery system will suffer from a degradation of service.

Have you ever seen a company that offers two services, one free and the other paid, provide as good a service to the free one? It is guaranteed that the quality of service for those who do not pay will go down.