Precident has been set since the dawn of the net to choose which elements you download & execute, e.g. text only, no script, no autoplay video

Has it? Maybe during the usenet days but even then most stuff was downloaded as a digest. And basically once we hit "the good internet" with geocities et al, images were everywhere and things kind of spiraled from there.

Again, this is a world I would prefer and I love/hate that there are browser plugins to get stripped versions of websites and the like. But precedent wise? I... don't think we were using the same internet for the past 30-40 years.

I DO think the argument for power and (at least where it is monitored) data usage could be a thing. But I am pretty sure the outcome would be landing pages that EVERYONE hates and bypasses.

Also obligatory: Legal Precedent is a very specific thing that is almost entirely based around court rulings and cases. And there are a lot of reasons almost nothing related to The Internet or piracy ever goes to trial.