Netflix now takes up about a third of North America's peak downstream traffic, according to a new report by network analysis company Sandvine. The company's report also purportedly shines a light on "cord cutters," a segment of internet users which it says is using more than seven times the data of typical internet users.
Amid a large and growing backlash from advocacy groups and top Internet companies to the Federal Communication Commission's draft Open Internet proposal, the FCC is considering yet a new draft to mollify critics. The changes reportedly emphasize the FCC's willingness to reclassify broadband providers if anti-net neutrality practices become widespread.
To stream or not to stream. To stream or not to stream, that is the question. It used to be an age old debate, but with the advent of faster microchips in computers, modern WiFi routers and increased content selection, streaming media is the wave of the future.
Earlier this week, a large coalition of internet companies released an open letter to the Federal Communications Commission warning that its purported new Open Internet rules, ostensibly meant to protect net neutrality, actually "represents a grave threat to the Internet." Now a large coalition of interest groups, including some prominent Latino organizations, has done the same.
Do you remember the day the internet went on strike against a bad piece of legislation? It may happen again. The internet dream team behind 2011's SOPA protests has sent what may be the opening salvo in another pressure campaign, this time to stop the Federal Communications Commission's reportedly proposed "Open Internet" rules.
In the wake of leaks about new, weaker, Open Internet rules proposed by the Federal Communications Commission, and soon after Netflix had to pay two internet service providers for better access to their customers, Netflix has taken its concerns directly to the FCC. Meanwhile, Google, Yahoo, and other internet heavies may be planning a SOPA-like grassroots protest for net neutrality.
The Federal Communications Commission will propose new Open Internet rules supposedly meant to protect consumers and internet businesses later this month. They will do nothing of the kind, giving big broadband companies exactly the kind of anti-net neutrality power they've wanted for years, at a time when the concept of net neutrality desperately needs enforcement.
The proposed takeover of Time Warner Cable (the nation's second largest cable provider) by Comcast (the first) has attracted criticism and consternation from media advocates, as well as some companies like Netflix and Charter. As of this week, you can Latino television giant Univision to the list of companies that are concerned about the merger.
Netflix has made it very clear that it doesn't think it should have to pay Internet service providers to get quality streaming service to an ISP's subscribers, going so far as to make a case for a new "strong net neutrality" that protects them (and presumably others) from such fees. Nevertheless, the company has made a deal with Verizon for better access.
Net Mundial, a global internet governance conference being held this week in Brazil ended on Thursday with little concrete progress to show. Nevertheless optimistic participants representing a wide range of interests celebrated the constructive conversations that took place during the two-day event, which coincided with Brazil signing its groundbreaking "Internet Bill of Rights" into law.
The Federal Communications Commission will release a proposal soon on a new set of Open Internet rules to replace the net neutrality-friendly rules recently struck down by a federal court. But early leaks suggest the new replacement system is not so net neutrality-friendly, sparking a war of words between FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the tech community.
The public fight over Comcast video streaming fees, its possible Time Warner Cable merger, and Netflix just got more heated. On Monday, Netflix announced it would raise subscriber fees (as predicted, but only for new users), and simultaneously voiced strong opposition to the proposed Comcast buy-out of TWC.
If you're a customer of Comcast cable broadband, you might have noticed an uptick in the streaming quality of your Netflix videos - or at least an end to constant buffering and blocky video. Netflix released data showing that its bandwidth deal with Comcast has boosted average connection speeds in recent months, begging the question: Was it worth paying the toll?
Comcast put forth an argument this week in favor of its merger with TWC. In the final of a five part series, we look at contradictions in Comcast's argument.
Cable giant Comcast started making its argument for buying up the second largest cable operator in the U.S., Time Warner Cable, this week. In part four of our series "Comcast's Competitors?" we'll look at net neutrality - a recently troubling issue that Comcast says will be bolstered by its takeover of TWC.
In its FCC filing on Tuesday, Comcast put forward its argument why a merger with Time Warner Cable, the second-largest cable company in the U.S., would be beneficial to consumers, market competition, and Comcast's survival in the new media landscape.
The contentious proposed Comcast takeover of Time Warner Cable has met with another detractor on Friday. Unsurprisingly, Charter Communications, the company that was trying to bid for Time Warner Cable before Comcast swept in, urged TWC investors not to endorse the merger with Comcast.
On Thursday, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings came out in favor of stronger net neutrality rules. Hastings supports a version of net neutrality that would help Netflix stream to customers without constant buffering - and without Netflix having to pay extra to internet service providers. But the root problem for Netflix and customers isn't the "toll" that Netflix recently had to pay for direct access - it's America's bandwidth scarcity.
In recent weeks, Netflix subscribers have noticed that their instant streaming service has increasingly degraded in quality and load time, even some with hefty broadband connections. The big question on everyone's minds is: does the slow-down have to do with the recent suspension of Net Neutrality, or something else?
With the Federal Communications Commission going back to the drawing board on Net Neutrality and Comcast recently announcing its proposed take-over of Time Warner Cable, the internet landscape as we know it is changing. National Latino organizations are reacting - with what could be described as "skeptical optimism."
