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I've had the exact same experience in Houston with Comcast + Netflix at slightly faster speeds. Eventually I dropped Netflix because it was unusable everywhere

I've had the exact same experience in Houston with Comcast + Netflix at slightly faster speeds. Eventually I dropped Netflix because it was unusable everywhere except my phone. Oddly I don't have the same issues with Amazon Prime, YouTube, or MLB/MiLB streaming. Given that Prime is also a direct competitor to Comcast streaming I'm not entirely convinced this experience with Netflix is the result of some deliberate plot on the part of Comcast versus some other bizarre issue. That isn't to say I disagree with network neutrality - I think it's vital. I'm just not going to attribute to malice what is quite possibly the result of incompetence.

ploxiln 13y ago
You'd be wrong. About 2 years ago, Netflix switched to using Level3 as their primary ISP. The peering between Comcast and Level3 became saturated, and Comcast declined to increase bandwidth at the peering point without being paid, and also declined to install netflix's CDN boxes somewhere on their network without being paid. The question of "who pays who" is kinda complicated between ISPs, payments are rather high, and comcast managed to reverse it's position/relationships in that space, because they have a monopoly on the users in their territory. They also hate competition from netflix more than from the others you mention, it's a more complete replacement for their video offerings.
- thwarted 13y ago
  They also hate competition from netflix more than from the others you mention, it's a more complete replacement for their video offerings. So they've never actually browsed Netflix's offering then, huh? Because it's hardly stellar or offers much in the way big-ticket items that compete with anything Comcast shows in their on-demand or via cable channels.
  - waps 13y ago
    This list of things telco monopolies see as competition is nicely summarized by the blue part of this picture : http://toddbell.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Earthrise.jpg http://toddbell.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Earthrise.jpg And they're getting really suspicious about the grey parts in the bottom too. Better safe than sorry, right ?

ploxiln 13y ago

You'd be wrong. About 2 years ago, Netflix switched to using Level3 as their primary ISP. The peering between Comcast and Level3 became saturated, and Comcast declined to increase bandwidth at the peering point without being paid, and also declined to install netflix's CDN boxes somewhere on their network without being paid. The question of "who pays who" is kinda complicated between ISPs, payments are rather high, and comcast managed to reverse it's position/relationships in that space, because they have a monopoly on the users in their territory. They also hate competition from netflix more than from the others you mention, it's a more complete replacement for their video offerings.

thwarted 13y ago
They also hate competition from netflix more than from the others you mention, it's a more complete replacement for their video offerings. So they've never actually browsed Netflix's offering then, huh? Because it's hardly stellar or offers much in the way big-ticket items that compete with anything Comcast shows in their on-demand or via cable channels.
- waps 13y ago
  This list of things telco monopolies see as competition is nicely summarized by the blue part of this picture : http://toddbell.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Earthrise.jpg http://toddbell.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Earthrise.jpg And they're getting really suspicious about the grey parts in the bottom too. Better safe than sorry, right ?