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- It's more expensive for an ISP to stream data from Netflix than it is to stream data from their own servers. - Net neutrality would prevent a philanthropist

- It's more expensive for an ISP to stream data from Netflix than it is to stream data from their own servers. - Net neutrality would prevent a philanthropist from providing free wireless access to Wikipedia (but nothing else). - Packets for real-time streaming should take priority over others. - ISPs will bypass net neutrality restrictions by switching to proprietary non-standard channels. - What's the difference between Amazon providing free shipping and Netflix offering free streaming? - Net neutrality is a distraction for the real problem that is lack of competition and artificial monopolies.

chatmasta 9y ago
> It's more expensive for an ISP to stream data from Netflix than it is to stream data from their own server Where to begin... 1) Almost by definition, if you connect to Netflix via your ISP, you are streaming content “from” at least one “server” belonging to Netflix, and at least one “server” belonging to your ISP 2) Netflix is an especially bad example for your point, because they provide free caching appliances to any data center with enough traffic. So most of the time you are streaming Netflix, assuming you’re accessing the most recently popular content, you are literally streaming it from a “server” on your ISP’s network. 3) Your ISP does not pay Netflix for every byte it downloads from them. That is, traffic from ISP <-> Netflix does not cost your ISP anything more than traffic from ISP <-> news.ycombinator.com. On point 3, it’s important to note that an ISP does not pay per unit transferred over its network. The only costs to the ISP are the fixed capital costs of network infrastructure and maintenance. Beyond that they may have transit agreements with other ISPs (usually mutual but in some cases maybe paid). But none of these agreements charge the ISP per gb. The ISP builds pipes with capacity and then charges you based on how much you put through the pipe (whether directly through $/gb pricing, or indirectly through capped plans). They make their margins with overselling and traffic shaping. True, streaming Netflix does not cost your ISP extra, but it does take up capacity in those pipes. The reason ISPs are concerned is because dominant content providers effectively limit the ability of an ISP to oversell its capacity, reducing margins. It has nothing to do with increased cost of serving bytes from Netflix vs bytes from somewhere else.

chatmasta 9y ago

> It's more expensive for an ISP to stream data from Netflix than it is to stream data from their own server Where to begin... 1) Almost by definition, if you connect to Netflix via your ISP, you are streaming content “from” at least one “server” belonging to Netflix, and at least one “server” belonging to your ISP 2) Netflix is an especially bad example for your point, because they provide free caching appliances to any data center with enough traffic. So most of the time you are streaming Netflix, assuming you’re accessing the most recently popular content, you are literally streaming it from a “server” on your ISP’s network. 3) Your ISP does not pay Netflix for every byte it downloads from them. That is, traffic from ISP <-> Netflix does not cost your ISP anything more than traffic from ISP <-> news.ycombinator.com. On point 3, it’s important to note that an ISP does not pay per unit transferred over its network. The only costs to the ISP are the fixed capital costs of network infrastructure and maintenance. Beyond that they may have transit agreements with other ISPs (usually mutual but in some cases maybe paid). But none of these agreements charge the ISP per gb. The ISP builds pipes with capacity and then charges you based on how much you put through the pipe (whether directly through $/gb pricing, or indirectly through capped plans). They make their margins with overselling and traffic shaping. True, streaming Netflix does not cost your ISP extra, but it does take up capacity in those pipes. The reason ISPs are concerned is because dominant content providers effectively limit the ability of an ISP to oversell its capacity, reducing margins. It has nothing to do with increased cost of serving bytes from Netflix vs bytes from somewhere else.