Netflix: A House Divided

Netflix changes it's mind on net neutrality and pays for faster speeds.

Netflix was talking a big game and standing their ground and then they completely reversed what they were saying with their actions. Will their inconsistencies cause a break in the net neutrality progress or allow more progress towards an open internet?

Just a few months back the CEO of Netflix really laid in to Comcast and Verizon about the idea of net neutrality. The Verge sums in it up beautifully in this article. He was making a stand on something that will affect all the people and companies on the internet. He was helping aide in making an open internet but he quickly changed suit. Netflix was saying that ISP or internet service providers should not be charging to open bandwidth and access to specific services and sites. The internet is a utility that everyone should have access to and Netflix was helping enforce that idea. With such a solid stance what would make Netflix change their mind?

Recently, Netflix signed a deal with both Verizon and Comcast that stated that their service would not get their speed throttled when users access the service on those ISPs. They did exactly the opposite of what they said and stood for in the article from The Verge. Netflix changed their tone and for what reason? With the recent article from Engadget we find that Netflix's speeds have improved drastically since the deal. Netflix has decided that faster speeds are better than standing for what they formally said was right and that is an open internet. They have made it harder for other companies to not only compete but also try to stay with the open internet model. With Netflix's deal they are paving the way for there to be no net neutrality and companies or even users will have to pay extra for access to specific services. This benefits ISPs greatly but is a hard blow to the pocket book for the consumer.

Sources:
The Verge, Engadget