A pair of legal notices seem to indicate that AT&T will cut off Internet service to any customer that "disparages its reputation."

A document entitled "AT&T Legal Policy" notes that the company reserves the right to terminate Internet service to customers who "damage or disparage the reputation of AT&T or its Service(s)."

Another legal document posted on the BellSouth Web site likewise threatens to shut down users who engage in activity that "tends to damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries."

I found the latter thanks to a posting on BoingBoing. The former I found on my own in order to try to corroborate the authenticity of the first posting.

Unless these postings are part of an elaborate hoax involving spoofing of two separate AT&T Web sites, the language is a troubling sign that the carriers cannot be trusted to perform the vital public service of providing Internet service without discrimination.

We do live in a free, competitive market, and there is little appetite in the United States for a government-owned service of this kind.

But after Verizon showed its willingness to censor political content earlier this week--before backing off under a firestorm of political pressure--it now seems that the two principal Internet service carriers are incapable of performing their public trust.

Indeed, the Verizon spokesperson who backpedaled from the company's original position made a very limited promise for the future, promising that the company will "continue to protect the ability to communicate broadly through our messaging service."

How "broadly"?

I guess it depends on what the company decides is appropriate at the time, and whether the content producer has enough political muscle to have its voice heard if Verizon decides to try to stifle it.

The combination of this behavior in this environment strengthens the argument for net neutrality legislation. Carriers have made the argument that such legislation is a) unwarranted by the facts on the ground and b) would stifle innovation.

Well, the facts on the ground seem to be giving new ammunition to net neutrality legislation advocates daily. And as far as innovation is concerned, the telecommunications industry didn't seem to be affected by common carrier rules made to apply to Western Union in the 19th century to ensure that it stopped discriminating against political messages that ran counter to its interests.

No wonder Senator Byron Dorgan told eWEEK that he found Verizon's actions "troublesome."