So I try to connect to Netflix tonight, and either nothing comes up, or I get an error message saying that Netflix is having a problem. This persists for over an hour.
Suspicious, I then I connect to a VPN service, which encrypts my connection so that my ISP (Brighthouse) can't tell who I'm connecting to. Wanna guess what happens?
Netflix comes right up.
I then turn off the WiFi on my phone and connect through cellular (Verizon). Netflix comes right up.
So if you're having this problem tonight, blame the real culprit, not Netflix. This is what happens without net neutrality. Any ISP can shake down any internet site or service by blocking, or otherwise messing with the delivery of the data that you and I have already paid that ISP to deliver.
Put simply: They want to be paid twice for the same work. Screw them!
Don't know what net neutrality is? Watch this John Oliver video:
Don't worry though. The head of the FCC is an industry hack and it's regulatory authority is completely captured. So there's no question that us consumers will get screwed.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing bad about Last Week Tonight is waiting all week to see it.
Oliver really is hitting it out of the park lately. His rant on the Ferguson situation is amazing too.
DeleteAre you a Dingo?
ReplyDeleteIf I was, I'd be singing the praises having a "fast" lane, and a "hyperspeed" lane.
DeleteThat is exactly what a dingo would say.
DeleteLet's change the name to Dingo-berry.
DeleteCalled in to tech support... twice. Because the first tech (after a loooong silence) wanted to reboot the modem, which cut off my VOIP phone. Didn’t work of course. Netflix still out. Youtube still working fine.
ReplyDeleteSecond tech was better trained. He started with the “Update Silverlight” nonsense, ignoring the fact that my phone and iPad don’t even use it. Or that Silverlight somehow worked fine over the VPN.
Then he started calling me a conspiracy theorist, told me he’d never heard about anything like this, that they didn’t even have the ability to do such a thing, and made snide jokes about his evil overlords cackling somewhere.
When that didn’t work, he tried to sell me on a network problem he “just remembered” them having. And yeah, he could transfer me to a supervisor, but I’d have to wait a while on hold “cause they’re really busy”.
2 minutes into the hold, Netflix came back.
of course they can block content. They've been working on it like mad in preparation for No Net Neutrality.
ReplyDeleteSo you pay now for internet bandwidth? Like a lot of us poor saps on cable? I know we pay for a larger package than their 'basic'
Hmm. If I can have different download/upload speeds based on how much I pay... It's not a far cry to dream up that they can also limit content, by restricting certain content providers. by constricting yer 'tubes'
I know I sound like a whackjob who doesn't know anything about being an ISP. Nothing to see here citizen. The Intarweb Overlords are your friends. They are here to 'serve' you. for a price. and for another price they'll allow content providers into the webz too.
You just don't understand the realities of the ISP business Farmpunk. How else are they going to drive up revenue without having to spend the CEO's bonus money on infrastructure upgrades? How else are they going to force us cord cutters back into the fat, smelly arms of overpriced cable packages?
DeleteIt's funny how internet connections get more expensive because you have to pay for a full time VPN just to use them...
ReplyDeleteThe free VPN service I signed onto last night has a $29 yearly fee for their fast lane. I am seriously considering that. Tests on Comcast's network have proven that even with the VPN processing overhead, you can get 10x faster Netflix performance through one.
DeleteGotta have something for those extra CPU cores to do I guess...
Good rationale for buying the new 8 core intel chip? :)
DeleteI'll run that by the wife... Er, on second though... ;)
DeleteThanks for bringing even more depressing government-corporate f@ckery to my attention. Even more reason for me to move out of this monarchy of wealth we live in.
ReplyDeletewell, to be honest, it's more of an Plutocracy than a Monarchy. Rule by the Wealthy. You could call it an Oligarchy, but after a while, they both end up moderately similar.
DeleteThe wealth is just their means to acquire power. The guys on top of the pyramid stopped caring about sheer wealth a long time ago. When they need money for something, they just manipulate the wannabe oligarchs below them to make it appear where needed.
DeleteSandWyrm,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Gary Doda and I am the Forums Manager for Bright House Networks. As you are already aware I have reached out to you and look forward to discussing the finer technical details with you by phone when you are ready. To be clear Bright House Networks does not impede or throttle any user traffic and that includes Netflix. The reason your VPN experiement resulted in a better experience is due to a change in return path via a less congested interconnect aka peer and nothing more. You might find this discussion at DSLR reports interesting where I assisted a customer with the very same work around https://secure.dslreports.com/forum/r29428667-Netflix-Streaming-Capped-at-3-MB-at-Night so this is nothing new. Wish you all the best.
Thanks Gary, I will reply to this in a new post.
Delete