FCC Investigating Netflix-ISP Fight
In case you hadn’t noticed, ISPs and Netflix aren’t exactly friendly right now. In addition to bowing to Comcast and paying extra fees (that surely stuck in Netflix’s craw), the video streaming provider passive-aggressively accused Verizon of delivering substandard network performance, and Verizon countered by blasting Netflix for what amounts to lying (allegedly).
The situation is only going to get worse and uglier, and the FCC is stepping in to investigate what’s boiling under the surface.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler
“Consumers must get what they pay for,” wrote FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in a letter. As the consumer’s representative we need to know what is going on. I have therefore directed the Commission staff to obtain the information we need to understand precisely what is happening in order to understand whether consumers are being harmed.”
Wheeler explicitly stated that the FCC is not currently looking to regulate things, but you can bet that the agency will step in if it sees that one entity or the other is gouging consumers or engaging in unfair tactics.
The situation is only going to get worse and uglier, and the FCC is stepping in to investigate what’s boiling under the surface.
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler
“Consumers must get what they pay for,” wrote FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in a letter. As the consumer’s representative we need to know what is going on. I have therefore directed the Commission staff to obtain the information we need to understand precisely what is happening in order to understand whether consumers are being harmed.”
Wheeler explicitly stated that the FCC is not currently looking to regulate things, but you can bet that the agency will step in if it sees that one entity or the other is gouging consumers or engaging in unfair tactics.
