Even as showbiz talent and management have found a common enemy in the threat posed by online piracy, the divide between the two camps regarding Net neutrality remains wide, testimony in a congressional hearing demonstrated Tuesday.

Net neutrality involves the idea that all legal content and traffic should be treated equally and without discrimination, and each side either supports or opposes it for the same reason -- to protect fragile business models. The growing impasse is thus not likely to be resolved any time soon.

In a Tuesday hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet over a proposed bill intended to ensure open access to the Web, "Hannah Montana" exec producer Steve Peterman, speaking on behalf of the Writers Guild of America West, described the Internet as "the new TV" and the best of the diminishing opportunities for independent artists to reach a large audience.

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