Verizon Vice President-Federal Regulatory Affairs David Young blasted...
Verizon Vice President-Federal Regulatory Affairs David Young blasted Netflix Wednesday, saying the company had engaged in a PR stunt to blame ISPs for buffering transmissions to its customers. In a blog post, Young cited reports Netflix is displaying a message…
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to some customers whose connection has been slow, saying “The Verizon network is crowded right now.” “This claim is not only inaccurate, it is deliberately misleading,” Young said (http://vz.to/1kD6TTk). “The source of the problem is almost certainly NOT congestion in Verizon’s network. Instead, the problem is most likely congestion on the connection that Netflix has chosen to use to reach Verizon’s network.” Netflix, not Verizon, is responsible for its connection to an ISP, Young wrote. “It is sad that Netflix is willing to deliberately mislead its customers so they can be used as pawns in business negotiations and regulatory proceedings.” Netflix spokesman Joris Evers told us in an email Netflix is not picking on Verizon. “We are testing ways to let consumers know how their Netflix experience is being affected by congestion on their broadband provider’s network,” he said. Tests in the U.S. started last month, he said. BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield said Netflix likely wants to send Verizon a bigger message. Despite signing direct peering and interconnection agreements with Comcast and Verizon in recent weeks “it is clear that Netflix is upset and believes peering should be free,” Greenfield said. “As a result, Netflix is looking to harness the power of its subscriber base to drive its message home to regulators and politicians.”