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Note that these deals, while potentially objectionable, don't violate net neutrality as it's commonly understood. The key difference is that they involve the tr
by necubi 12y ago
Note that these deals, while potentially objectionable, don't violate net neutrality as it's commonly understood. The key difference is that they involve the transit between Netflix and Verizon/Comcast, rather than within Verizon/Comcast.
It would be violating net neutrality if they were deliberately slowing down Netflix traffic within their networks, rather than offering to peer (provide a more direct or higher-bandwidth connection) with Netflix's transit partner.
- wmf 12y agoIt appears to me that Comcast was deliberately refusing to upgrade transit links to harm Netflix; whether it's within their network or on the edge seems like an irrelevant detail. I don't understand why the definition of net neutrality should be frozen, leaving companies free to invent new loopholes.
- cheald 12y agoThat requires a rather short view of history. Comcast was refusing to upgrade its transit links because it's been in dispute with Cogent over the terms of their peering. Verizon, likewise, has been in dispute with Cogent over similar terms. Cogent has been in disputes with a bunch of other people over the past 15 years or so, as well, over more or less the same thing. This is not new or unique to Netflix. Netflix is just the most visible casualty because their total traffic load is such a substantial chunk of the total.
- necubi 12y agoNetflix always has another recourse in this situation: they could use a transit provider (like L3) that Comcast already peers with. Evidently they've decided that paying Comcast is cheaper than paying L3. If Comcast were deliberately slowing down their traffic there would be nothing they could do besides paying.
- dublinben 12y agoIt seems like pretty much all of Comcast's interconnects are full or nearly full. Netflix could not send their traffic through any (or all) transit providers even if they wanted to. Comcast is playing hardball to force content providers to make these kind of direct (paid) arrangements.
- dwild 12y agoI don't know if we can trust that graphic but it seems like they already does. http://blog.netflix.com/2014/04/the-case-against-isp-tolls.html http://blog.netflix.com/2014/04/the-case-against-isp-tolls.h...