A couple of weeks ago, Mark Cuban got our attention when he called for a tiered Internet, arguing that some applications should get priority in the battle for bandwidth. But is he speaking the same language as Verizon and AT&T when it comes to tieres?

I'm not sure the telcos and I see eye to eye on tiered services. I see it as an API that allows applications to be written that are mission critical. With the tiers of service, the opportunity is there to enable far less expensive alternatives to leased lines and VPNs, and to allow those apps to be web-based rather than requiring an IT infrastructure.

Read on for more of our follow-up interview with Mark on the tiered Internet.