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

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

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Brett Glass <brett () lariat net>
> Date: July 21, 2017 at 10:42:19 PM EDT
> To: dave () farber net
> Subject: Re: [IP] Verizon Wireless confirms it throttled Netflix streams as part of traffic optimization trial
>
> Dave, and everyone:
>
> Even an HD video stream -- much less one that exceeds the resolution of a mobile phone -- does not take 10 Mbps. 
> Thus, the fact that a "speed test" -- a site which does not in fact test capacity but instead conducts a denial of 
> service attack and reports the throughput when the connection fails as the "speed" -- indicates 10 Mbps does not 
> indicate a problem. In fact, it may well indicate that Verizon is doing good management of its network, protecting it 
> against DoS attacks while generously allowing more video bandwidth than any legitimate user would consume.
>
> Of late, corporate interests pushing for illegal, harmful, innovation-killing regulation of the Internet have been 
> seizing upon any attempt by ISPs to manage their networks' resources as an attack on consumers. Exactly the opposite 
> is the case.... In fact, when my users recently found their connections saturated and nearly crippled by overly 
> aggressive Microsoft Windows updates, some actually asked me to rein this traffic in (which I did for them). While 
> Microsoft or some other edge provider may find it to be in its interests to monopolize an Internet user's connection, 
> the user may (and, usually will!) disagree. It's the ISP's job to give the user the best possible experience, and I 
> strive to do this.
>
> It's time to curb the hateful "fake news" and anti-ISP rhetoric. ISPs like myself sweat, work evenings and weekends, 
> and even risk life and limb to provide Internet users with good service. Regulation of the Net -- which is clearly 
> illegal under 47 USC 230(b) and (f) -- harms network performance, raises bills, deters investment, slows deployment, 
> and limits consumer choice by making it impossible for new market entrants to raise capital. It's time to debunk the 
> many false claims about so-called "network neutrality" regulations, exposing them as inconsistent with the founding 
> principles of the Internet and harmful to all but the large corporations that lobby for them.
>
> --Brett Glass
>
> At 03:39 PM 7/21/2017, you wrote:
>  
>
>
>
> > 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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