Netflix Under FCC Scrutiny for Alleged Fast Lanes Effort

TechTimes.com reports that Netflix is being accused by a federal regulator of creating its own Internet fast lanes for delivering its content.

Such a move would create an unfair advantage for Netflix over its competitors, according to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai.

“I understand that Netflix has taken — or at least tested — measures that undermine aspects of open standards for streaming video,” said Pai in a statement. “Specifically, I understand that Netflix has at times changed its streaming protocols where open caching is used, which impedes open caching software from correctly identifying caching Netflix traffic. Because Netflix traffic constitutes such a substantial percentage of streaming video traffic, measures like this threaten the viability of open standards.”

The Netflix program, Open Connect, stores video content inside the networks of Internet service providers (ISPs) so content doesn’t need to go as far to reach users. The result is that Netflix delivery is faster than other similar services, giving Netflix an unfair advantage, say regulators.

Read more at http://www.techtimes.com/articles/21459/20141203/netflix-under-fcc-scrutiny-fast-lanes-effort.htm