Verizon Wireless confirms it throttled Netflix streams as part of traffic optimization trial

["Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: the keyboard of geoff goodfellow <geoff () iconia com>
> Date: July 21, 2017 at 4:59:53 PM EDT
> To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>, Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
> Cc: ip <ip () listbox com>, "Peter G. Neumann" <neumann () csl sri com>
> Subject: Verizon Wireless confirms it throttled Netflix streams as part of traffic optimization trial
>
>
> Verizon Wireless has been throttling video feeds from Netflix over the course of this week, with the carrier claiming 
> it is part of a temporary trial of system to optimize traffic from video streaming services without impacting 
> quality, though customer reports seem to suggest it is a bandwidth cap on Netflix content. 
>
> On Thursday, Reddit users were complaining about speed issues when using Verizon to watch video on Netflix and 
> YouTube, reports Ars Technica. Some users were finding that they were limited to speeds of around 10 megabits per 
> second when using Netflix's Fast.com speed testing tool, despite other speed testing sites reporting the same 
> connections as offering speeds multiple times faster. 
>
> The phenomena was also noted on the HowardForums, with user GusHerb94 noting that YouTube was running at 1,250 
> kilobytes per second according to its "stats for nerds" feature, which is approximately the same as 10 megabits per 
> second. When the user connected to YouTube via a VPN, the speed "tripled" compared to not using the VPN. 
>
> Another user responded noting their 1440p video stream was "throttled at a constant 9.59Mbps," adding that the speed 
> was so low "it wasn't even able to keep up and buffered a few times." 
>
> Verizon advised in a statement "We've been doing network testing over the past few days to optimize the performance 
> of video applications on our network. The testing should be completed shortly. The customer video experience was not 
> affected." 
>
> It could be said that Verizon's testing goes against general net neutrality principles, which typically require 
> Internet providers to treat all traffic equally, regardless of source and content, though Title II does permit some 
> exceptions to allow Verizon to manage its network traffic. Capping the speed of one or more specific services could 
> be seen as giving an advantage to another that doesn't have the same restrictions...
>
> [SNIP]
>
> http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/07/21/verizon-wireless-confirms-it-throttled-netflix-streams-as-part-of-traffic-optimization-trial
>
> -- 
> Geoff.Goodfellow () iconia com
> living as The Truth is True
> http://geoff.livejournal.com  



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