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Netflix Points a Finger at Verizon for Poor Video Streaming

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Image: Mashable composite. iStock Alashi

By Jason Abbruzzese13 hours ago

Netflix has pointed its finger at another Internet service provider that it paid to ensure better streaming quality.

Vox media designer Yuri Victor tweeted a picture in which Netflix displayed a warning within its interface, identifying Verizon as the reason for lagging performance.

See also: Is Verizon Really Slowing Down Netflix?

Oh snap, netflix. pic.twitter.com/wMfavoHOyj
— Yuri Victor ♥ (@yurivictor) June 4, 2014

In a conversation following the tweet, Victor said he tried to stream Netflix through his Apple computer via a Verizon FiOS connection in the Washington, D.C., area when he received the message. Victor and the analysts he interacted with, BTIG Research's Rich Greenfield and Walter Piecyk, said they had not seen the message before.

Jonathan Friedland, a spokesperson for Netflix, responded to the conversation, saying the company is "always testing new ways to keep members informed."

A Verizon spokesperson did not mince words when asked for comment. "This is a PR stunt. We're investigating this claim but it seems misleading and could confuse people," the spokesperson said.
While the FCC takes public comment on new rules that would regulate how data flows over the Internet,

a brewing battle over peering — the connection of networks to facilitate data flow — has started to go public.

a brewing battle over peering — the connection of networks to facilitate data flow — has started to go public. These connections are usually done for free out of interest in boosting efficiency.

Peering, however, is not addressed in the net neutrality debate; it has to do with physical connections as opposed to the actual digital flow of data.

Netflix has not been shy about blaming ISPs for performance issues surrounding its content, but has primarily focused its ire on Comcast. The streaming media company has signed paid peering deals with both ISPs — Comcast in February and Verizon in April — to sidestep some of the congestion on the Internet and reach consumers with a more direct path.

Since then, Netflix has taken almost every opportunity it can to tell customers that it should not be blamed for any issues.

Google recently entered the debate, coming out in support of free peering and launched its own tool to judge IPS performance, a tool similar to Netflix's ISP speed index.

A recent study highlighted that paid peering deals in the U.S. may already be widespread.