Two weeks ago a new cooperative named "Copowi" launched that bills itself as the first ISP to offer a network neutrality guarantee. The ISP insists that it's a "social enterprise" and not a traditional business. The company so far only has a few hundred customers, but insists that it will not engage in traffic shaping or other covert bandwidth management techniques.

Service is offered in twelve states, with speeds that range from 256kbps-7Mbps. The 256kbps tier is rather pricey at $33.95; the company also offers a 1.5Mbps tier for $49.95 and a 7Mbps tier for $59.95.

"The net neutrality debate has created a new market segment whose needs are not being met. Until now all this segment could do was comment, demonstrate and petition," says Chris Ellis, co-founder of Copowi. "With Copowi they can now vote with their feet," he says.

As an incumbent reseller, they're still going to be subject to the whims of the ILECs, so it's not clear how robust their promise can be, given they don't have full control of your packets for the entire ride.

It's also worth noting that while network neutrality is a noble premise worth pursuing, most incumbent DSL operators haven't throttled or capped connections yet. With the exception of a few instances of idiocy, they've largely been guilty of blustery rhetoric. They've been playing nice because they're afraid of regulatory action.

If the "neutrality" difference in service then is marginal, do we really think consumers will pay a premium simply to make a statement?

Also see: The Copowi FAQ, their launch press release, and additional coverage from Ars Technica and PC Magazine.