Re: Verizon Public Policy on Netflix

[Randy Bush <randy () psg com>]

> > But before Netflix made a deal with Comcast, would you be making 
> > the same request ?
> Yes. I have an e-mail trail dating back to November of last year in
> which I attempted to discuss this with Netflix. They were
> intransigent.  They didn't believe that the views of a small ISP from
> Wyoming were worth considering.

i am not sure that was rubens's question.  and i suspect they were
looking for the cash not the views.  but that aside, when i started in a
small area, i was aware of the consequent lack of leverage i would have,
business deals are not based just on one party's needs.  otoh, 25 years
ago it was far easier to supply into a completely unfulfilled market.

any measurements of what the cache hit ratios might be in a market such
as yours?  of course, even 10% is a win if you can get the cost of the
cache close to zero.  (but what's the financial win there for netflix?)

<aside>
but you have my sympathies.  i doubt i would start a rural isp in the
states today, insufficient leverage to get the facilities it would need
and too vulnerable to cable and telco.  i am also not buying into cattle
here in tokyo.  :)

<aside^2> 
we are netflix consumers, and tunnel it to tokyo.  for us, the content
sucks, all mainstream, but japanese movie houses do not subtitle in
english.  when we were in the states, the dvd service had the long tail,
and our tastes are out on that more obscure tail.  my guess is that, for
streaming, netflix is in a major tussle with the studios.  i suspect
there is a parallel to this overall discussion.

randy