Us internet denizens are on the precipice of change. The internet as we know it is reaching its inevitable final form — that of a tool of the industrial government enterprise. Net neutrality is close to becoming a concept of the past. It is a sad and terrible thing, but a possible reality we must accept.

Everything is going to change. Already the discussion over the internet fast and slow lanes have begun. We know that the end of net neutrality will affect our internet experience. Sure, there are a ton of caveats, but I’m not here to discuss politics, just speculate on possible futures. So how will the possible end of net neutrality affect brands?

“The existence of a fast lane and slow lane on the internet gives me a feeling of reflexive revulsion,” says Jim Lin, VP, Digital Strategist at Ketchum. Lin works with some of the biggest brands on a daily basis and is getting mentally prepared for a shift in how he markets these brands. “The reality is, however, that we’ve been living in a ‘too good to be true’ scenario for years. In every other form of media, it’s the big players who can afford the premium prices to advertise in the major media outlets.”

Net Neutrality is a fragile ecosystem that certain government officials are determined to destroy in their continued greedy quest. While they claim that they plan on keeping it status quo for the users (whom the FCC believes are basic minded idiots), we know that isn’t true. The real winners will be the ISPs who will be squeezing the consumer to make up for what they handed the government in those crumpled brown envelopes.

Brands will be in the middle, both benefiting and suffering at the expense and whims of the ISPs. They’ll have to pay more for reach, but it will be nearly guaranteed reach. At the same time, many brands will simply be unable to find that precious organic growth as they are shut out of the fast lane.

Life in the slow lane will become quite desolate. Startups, small businesses, entrepreneurs, food trucks, local business — the list goes on and on. Anyone who can’t afford Superbowl-like advertising rates will fall through the cracks. Without being able to pay the hefty fees required to reach an audience, organic brand growth will shrivel and die. The slow lane of the internet will be a bleak, dark alley where the trash never gets picked up.

Lin continued, “I think the fast lane properties will become even more unattainable for smaller businesses, as rising costs will give the elite properties more justification to raise rates.”

Competition will die, the free market will become something of a joke as the big brands simply fork over cash to all the ISPs to get priority access to customers. And of course, customers won’t be in the slow lane. Why would they? They’ll piss, moan and fork over whatever increases their ISP imposes on them. Who wants slower internet than the next guy? Who doesn’t want the maximum bandwidth to watch re-runs of Downton Abbey on Netflix? Not this guy.

However, there is a silver lining. A thin sliver of positive truth on the other end of this destructive little government sponsored rainbow — content. Good content is what consumers demand from brands. If the brands relegated to the slow lane deliver quality and engaging content, they just might make it an even playing field once again.

“Great content wins in the end,” says Lin, “I have faith that people will be willing to wait an extra .5 seconds for awesome content to load rather than sacrifice that experience to gain half a second of their life back. And that’s the beauty of the internet — in the end, content still wins.”