> Seems like one step along the way for the government to criminalize personal VPN access and ban the websites they don't like. They could already do it but this way is so much easier.
You mean much harder, because when government (ISP) is blocking sites it's censorship, that is against constitution, while corporations can do whatever they want (especially if it is heavily "encouraged" by government), so your only action is to change ISP(good luck with that in land of the freedom). And even when there is a competing ISP in your area, odds are that it also was "encouraged" by government.
In theory sure but in reality merely 2 days ago I saw calls from both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for governments to adopt more internet censorship. I don't have confidence that the new crop of lawmakers are in sync with the constitution, particularly on the subject of free speech.
Ultimately this becomes reliant on the judiciary, which is also political.
You mean much harder, because when government (ISP) is blocking sites it's censorship, that is against constitution, while corporations can do whatever they want (especially if it is heavily "encouraged" by government), so your only action is to change ISP(good luck with that in land of the freedom). And even when there is a competing ISP in your area, odds are that it also was "encouraged" by government.