I read here that ESPN360.com, as a web server, refuses to provide content to end users who are not coming thru an ISP that has an arrangement with ESPN. That arrangement includes the ISP paying ESPN. It sounds as if the content owners also require the ISPs to not discriminate among their customers and offer their content at no extra charge.
The FCC has required owners of the last mile to lease their wire at a ‘fair price’ to ‘ISPs’. One way for the ISP to resegment the market between those who want to watch sports (ESPN) and those who don’t is to form two ISP’s who share the expensive part of the broadband plant, namely the last mile. This seems awkward.
I suppose that ESPN uses AKAMI to avoid the cost of redundant transmissions over the long haul backbone.
DSR would merely allow ESPN to simply charge for content.