Netflix accused of creating fast lanes “at the expense of competitors”

[Victorious Secret]

 

This is the pot calling the kettle black, big time. Come on, you don't get to accuse Netflix when you are failing at your own job and bending over for the big ISPs. 

 

 

 

Ajit Pai of the Federal Communications Commission today accused Netflix of “secur[ing] ‘fast lanes’ for its own content” at the expense of competitors and deploying proprietary caching systems in order to force Internet service providers to use nonstandard equipment.

 

Pai, one of two Republican commissioners on the five-member commission, made the accusations in a letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. The letter describes Netflix’s support for regulating ISPs as utilitiesin order to prevent them from charging content providers for “fast lanes” and then accuses Netflix of creating fast lanes for itself. Pai’s letter cites a TechCrunch article from May that quotes Hastings’ support for “strong net neutrality,” but it provides no sources for any of the accusations he made against Netflix.

 

As an alternative to installing caching systems inside the big ISP networks, Netflix started paying months ago to get direct connections to the networks of Comcast, AT&T, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon. These interconnects improved Netflix performance while diverting Netflix traffic away from other paths into the ISP networks that had gotten congested, indirectly improving performance of other traffic that went over these links. The ISPs argued that Netflix purposely sent traffic over congested links to lower its own costs, but now that Netflix is paying for interconnection, the conflict should no longer be affecting consumers.

 

The Streaming Video Alliance, composed of 17 companies including Comcast, Charter, Cisco, Fox, Level 3, and Yahoo, will not be slowed down by Netflix's absence, according to founding member Dan Rayburn, an analyst at Frost & Sullivan. The alliance is not a standards body itself but will propose best practices to standards bodies, Rayburn told Ars.

 

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/12/netflix-accused-of-creating-fast-lanes-at-the-expense-of-competitors/

[Sors]

Wow...just.. wow..

 

Netflix was coerced by mayor ISPs into paying to keep their data available for their costumers "or else..",  they have been literally blackmailed, and now they are the bad guy? 

 

How biased can the FCC people be?   Or maybe this is just because the FCC wants some of that money too, disguised as a fine Netflix have to pay them.

[MattLantis]

God dammit Netflix

[Kherm]

y u do dis? I'm so mad at them

[Mattk50]

At netflix? why? did you guys read the article? Still the good guys here regardless of what these idiots in the FCC decide to flip flop about. One minute the FCC is saying ISPs should be allowed to do whatever they want, so they force netflix to pay or have their content artifically slowed down. Then when they pay, the FCC decides "netflix stop bribing ISPs!"

 

This is incredibly stupid.

[theloveablemoose]

Huh wonder what new movies they added im a go check.

[Redheadsrule13]

Really?
Oh, you were practically forced to pay out the ass so that ISP's wouldn't throttle the shit out of your traffic? How dare you! You're just securing your own access to consumers!
-.-
Get a grip, asshat.

[Techhog]

[Zeruel]

[Trik'Stari]

Fuck the FCC and fuck the ISP's. Net Neutrality NOW. People need to start talking about this to as many people as possible, I don't know how many people I've had to inform (on both sides of the aisle, not just republicans) as to what this is really about.

[Misanthrope]

In other news Netflix accused of beating itself up with it's own hand according to several isps

[Electrostatik]

"As an alternative to installing caching systems inside the big ISP networks..."

 

The ISPs refused to use the caching systems, forcing Netflix into a corner.  They know exactly what they're doing.  These companies disgust me

[Castdeath97]

Wut? Seriously, either you get rid of those fast lanes or stop complaining.

[silberdrachi]

Wait wait wait... they were giving these caching systems out for free last i heard. and were even footing the bill for the cost of power and cooling.

 

The reason why they REQUIRED propriatary hardware is because of licencing agreements with all the big media companies...

 

This feels like a bunch of media bullshit to make Netflix look bad. I want to see more information soon.

[Techhog]

"As an alternative to installing caching systems inside the big ISP networks..."

 

The ISPs refused to use the caching systems, forcing Netflix into a corner.  They know exactly what they're doing.  These companies disgust me

Even better is the fact that some smaller ISPs (and at least one med-large one) actually are using the caching systems.

[dalekphalm]

"As an alternative to installing caching systems inside the big ISP networks..."

 

The ISPs refused to use the caching systems, forcing Netflix into a corner.  They know exactly what they're doing.  These companies disgust me

This so much.

 

Netflix OFFERED - FOR FREE (let that sink in for a moment) to provide all of those ISP's with caching systems on-site, inside the ISP network. They refused. They pressured Netflix into agreeing to pay for these so-called "fast-lanes". They should relabel them to what they actually are: "same speed as before but now we charge you a bunch-lanes".

 

The FCC is full of shit here. If they had been doing their job, Netflix would never have needed to resort to this "fast-lane" crap.

[NateGSR117]

I thought the FCC could get any more rage inducing, guess I was wrong again. They never fail to surprise me on what they will say next.

[Trik'Stari]

I thought the FCC could get any more rage inducing, guess I was wrong again. They never fail to surprise me on what they will say next.

Welcome to the Federal government, doesn't do anything right, always gets it wrong, and always gets its way.

[Suika]

So... The ISPs bullied Netflix, Netflix met their demands, and now the FCC is ridiculing Netflix for meeting the demands proposed by the ISPs?

I think that guy has the wrong person, or needs to be kicked out of his position. Whichever.

[dalekphalm]

So... The ISPs bullied Netflix, Netflix met their demands, and now the FCC is ridiculing Netflix for meeting the demands proposed by the ISPs?

I think that guy has the wrong person, or needs to be kicked out of his position. Whichever.

Is there public info on this guy? Since the head of the FCC is a former Telecom lobbyist, it's possible this guy has some connections to the ISP's too. That would explain why he's singling out Netflix and not pointing the finger at the ISP's directly.

[ForsakenLive]

A while ago...

ISPs: Netflix yo, you are using all our bandwidth, you have to pay or your services will start to work much slower!
Netflix: Hey guys, want free cache servers that you can have in your facilities so you don't have to worry about bandwidth?

ISPs: No! That's BS, you bandwidth monster pay!! Or your videos will die

Netflix: Ok, but at least try using some of the money to upgrade your lamo copper and wireless connections...

ISPs: sure will do m8.. haha

 

Meanwhile...

Every informed user: FCC! ISPs are behaving severely anti-competitive! please help and use your law enforcement powers!

FCC: Can't do it, the ISPs are being mean to me

Every Informed user: well, just reclassify them so they can't be mean to you anymore... Tier 2 sounds just right.

FCC: lol that sounds silly.

 

Now, round 3:

FCC: Netflix! You are paying to have faster lanes to win over other services!? That's Anti-Competitive!!

Netflix: OMG are you freaking kidding me???

FCC: Pay!

....

[AlexGoesHigh]

So on top of the extortion the isp are doing some jackass in the fcc desides that extortion is anticompetitive against netflix?

Merica pls stahp