According to a report in The Hill streaming video giant Netflix is lining up lobbyists to take on Washington to protect its interests. The company, who hired its first in-house lobbyist earlier this year, is aligning itself with internet reform groups. This makes sense, as net neutrality has the potential to protect the company's core business - steaming video - from usage fees that broadband companies might try to impose on them if given the chance.
Netflix is aligning itself with Free Press, the Media Access Project, Public Knowledge and Consumers Union, who all have a common interest in fighting overage fees on Internet users who access a high volume of data. You know, people that use streaming video like Netflix, Hulu, and other content online.
The company is meeting "frequently with prominent consumer advocates," according to The Hill report. One public-interest group, which chose to remain anonymous, claims that it is working on a study of how Netflix could be threatened by Internet service providers (ISPs) during fee disputes such as the one between Level 3 and Comcast.
Source: The Hill
Comments
Re: Report: Netflix Aligning with Consumer Groups
Hey axiomatic
I can say that I have not seen any at all performance issues with Netflix, too. Can you tell me where to buy roku xds streaming player 1080p at best price for my son's room?
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Re: Report: Netflix Aligning with Consumer Groups
Of course, Netflix is already in over its head with its Watch Instantly system. More and more their servers are becoming overloaded and their service is slowly finding more downtime or slow connections ("Your internet connection has slowed", bullpucky! It's YOUR connections that have become overloaded!), or even faulty copies, mislabeled copies, or other goofs on what was placed for a streamed product.
And they have yet to go full Watch Instantly only. One can only imagine what the service will be like once they eliminate the mailed DVD service altogether.... of course, once they do, Gamefly might finally have a shot at better mailed game delivery.
Nightwng2000
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Re: Report: Netflix Aligning with Consumer Groups
I too have not seen any performance issues with Netflix and I can say that knowing that there are at least 3 different connections to Netflix streaming coming to my house almost every night. One being watched by me, one by my son, and the last by my wife. Full bars / full HD all night almost every night.
Nightwing... Not trying to anger you but I think this might be unique to the net in your area? I'm down in Houston TX if that helps you know where my net connections to Netflix are coming from?
Just trying to interject some perspective. Not trying to poke the bear. ;-)
Re: Report: Netflix Aligning with Consumer Groups
They have a $7.99 watch instantly only package for the US now. Unless you are talking about having all their DVDs being available for watch instantly, in that case, it will never happen. The movie and televisions studios are the ones who decide what can be streamed and what can't. So far the majority of studios have said no to it completely or to anything that is newer than 5-10 years.
As for server issues, I rarely see any problem with them. The last actual lost connection or slow buffer time I had was a month ago and I am on a 1.5 Mbps connection.
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E. Zachary Knight
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Re: Report: Netflix Aligning with Consumer Groups
"Unless you are talking about having all their DVDs being available for watch instantly, in that case, it will never happen."
It'll happen when the studios realize it's not a choice between having people stream movies and purchase them, it's a choice between having people stream movies and pirate them.
Artificially restricting users' options for accessing media is not a winning strategy. You give your customers a legal method for accessing your product online or they're going to find an illegal one.