FCC chief 'disturbed' by Netflix throttling

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FCC chief 'disturbed' by Netflix throttling

Post by voguy » 03-31-2016 07:03 PM

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REGULATION--FCC chief 'disturbed' by Netflix throttling

Netflix’s acknowledgment that it throttles its video over mobile networks is “deeply disturbing,” a Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Tuesday. FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly said the company’s failure to inform customers of throttling, which reduces video quality, could warrant investigations from Congress or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). “There is no way to sugarcoat it,” O’Rielly said during a speech at the American Action Forum. “The news is deeply disturbing and justly generates calls for government and maybe even congressional investigations.”

Last week, it was revealed that Netflix slows the download speed of its video over mobile networks such as Verizon and AT&T. The company said it has been doing so for at least five years to help customers stay below monthly data caps imposed by wireless providers. O’Rielly said the throttling didn’t violate the FCC’s net neutrality rules. “The FTC may have grounds to scrutinize Netflix video throttling, but let’s accept the factual point that Netflix never violated the commission’s net neutrality rules.”

While there’s no net neutrality violation, he does want the FCC to investigate whether Netflix lied to the agency. Netflix was a major participant in creating the net neutrality rule, and its disputes with Internet service providers helped sway the commission. “Certainly Netflix made repeated accusations of wrongdoing by ISPs, and all the while knowing that its own practices were the cause of consumer video downgrading,” O’Rielly said. “I would suggest that we review all of the comments filed by Netflix to see if there has been any violation of the commission rules. “These revelations call into question the entire foundation and rationale for the entire net neutrality decision,” he added. O’Rielly and the FCC’s other Republican commissioner, Ajit Pai, voted against the net neutrality rules. The penalty for providing inaccurate statements to the commission can range from a simple warning letter to being barred from participating in future rule making.

The FCC approved strong net neutrality rules over Republican objections that would make sure Internet service providers do not block, throttle or create paid fast lanes for certain Internet traffic. The regulations are meant to protect customers and Web companies like Netflix that create content. Because of that, the rules only apply to Internet service providers like Comcast or Verizon that haul Internet traffic between users. Netflix lobbied hard for the FCC rules. In the past, the company has blamed Internet service providers for congestion and long buffering times when watching its videos
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