The controversial move by the US Federal Communications Commission to kill net neutrality safeguards may mean an end to free pornography in the country.
Despite an outcry against the deregulation, American broadband companies will be allowed to restrict or even block content from their customers at their will.
For example, an internet service provider (ISP) may decide to block all access to free porn in order to force their customers to use a paid service - which will in turn pay a percentage of its profits to the ISP.
"ISPs will have the option to control what we can access, they'll be able to stop the free flow of what we all want most," Cassie Murdoch wrote on Mashable.com.
"Platforms like Pornhub and YouPorn have been vocal in the fight against net neutrality, and the loss of it will likely reshape the entire industry."
Pornhub joined more than 60 companies in staging a day of action protesting the killing of net neutrality earlier this year.
"Without [net neutrality], the cable and wireless companies that control internet access will have unfair power to pick winners and losers in the market," said Corey Price, vice president of Pornhub.
Mike Stabile, a spokesperson for the fetish-focussed porn website Kink.com, says the overcoming of restrictions specialist adult content faced by the internet may be reversed.
"Fifteen years ago, it was really difficult to find quality fetish content... We were severely restricted by distributors, by billing companies, and by limitations in internet speeds," he told Vice.com.
"When you slow sections of the internet, you're telling people that some ideas and sexualities and identities are second-class, and you bring that shame back. The internet becomes The Big Vanilla."
Comedy website Funny or Die even produced a video featuring nude porn stars standing up for net neutrality.
For porn fans living in the so-called 'land of the free', things are probably about to cost a lot more.
Newshub.
