The regulators of the space have one-way broadcasting to the inhabitants. Connecting to the AOL network is not connecting to the Internet, no matter what the commercials say. That client software facilitates monitoring and one-way commercial traffic. I am not trying to make value judgments about this architecture, only to point them out for your consideration. At present, AOL is an opt-in system.
Phone companies provide the transport layer access for most users.
The ISP provides application layer access to email, news, web browsing. Because these layers are mostly independent, and because each layer is subject to competition, they tend toward interoperable standards. It is not hard to imagine AOL client software, tied to the AOL network via AOL broadband. No interoperability requirements, therefore no opt-out whatsoever. Once Wall Street analysts realize the level of control and monitoring available to AOL under this deal, expect to see AOL's stock come back out of the mild slump it has been in.