With all the talk about net neutrality and package prioritization, it's curious and interesting to see AOL and Yahoo unveil a plan to launch a system in which they will express deliver e-mail from companies who pay a quarter of a cent to one cent per message. According to the New York Times, senders who pay a fee can only deliver them to "people who agreed to receive  messages, or risk being blocked entirely". AOL and Yahoo argue the new system, which is being sold as a service that post offices have been offering for decades, will help e-mail senders and recipients avoid the hassles of spam and ensure messages are deliver quickly and effectively. While I'm sure Yahoo and AOL can justify the new system until the cows come home, it could be difficult trying to charge for something that has been available for free for the past 30 years. Then again, the Internet appears to be entering a new phase in its evolution as service providers (access, e-mail, etc.) look for new ways to generate revenue. What we're getting is a multi-tiered Internet with different prices for different levels of service: if you're willing to pay a premium, you'll get premiuim service. It sounds like life, doesn't it? It will be interesting see how much take-up AOL and Yahoo get from their premium e-mail service, and how long it will take for the spam industry to figure out a way to capitalize on this system or subvert/hack it. Another thought is if this e-mail system is accepted, what other kinds of premium services can be introduced?. Access providers could push forward with QoS options and packages featuring bandwidth and traffic tiers, while streaming music service providers could offer higher-quality service for an additional fee. At the very least, get ready to pay more to use the Web.