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."
The government may have unceremoniously killed net neutrality and cable providers may be clamping down on Netflix's bandwidth usage, but at least fans of the site still have "Orange is the New Black" to look forward too.
The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission announced on Wednesday that the FCC would resurrect its Open Internet (i.e., Net Neutrality) rules. But the devil is in the details.
Cable TV and internet giant Comcast has reached a deal to buy cable TV and internet giant Time Warner Cable for around $45.2 billion. The merger, which was announced Thursday but broke late Wednesday, would create a television and internet behemoth the likes of which we've never seen - if it's approved.
