Image for BGR: Very sneaky, Verizon

BGR: Very sneaky, Verizon

Say hello to the next net neutrality challenge. Article by Brad Reed for BGR The Federal Communications Commission’s new net neutrality rules ensure that Verizon won’t be able to intentionally slow down competitors’ video streaming services in the name of speeding up its own offerings. However, Verizon has shown itself to be nothing if not creative over the years and a new report from Investor’s Business Daily claims that the carrier is working on a sneaky plan to undermine net neutrality that may not even run afoul of the FCC’s regulations.

Say hello to the next net neutrality challenge.

Article by Brad Reed for BGR

The Federal Communications Commission’s new net neutrality rules ensure that Verizon won’t be able to intentionally slow down competitors’ video streaming services in the name of speeding up its own offerings. However, Verizon has shown itself to be nothing if not creative over the years and a new report from Investor’s Business Daily claims that the carrier is working on a sneaky plan to undermine net neutrality that may not even run afoul of the FCC’s regulations.

How would Verizon accomplish this? As IBD tells it, Verizon is planning to offer its own standalone streaming service that would be like a relaunch of its infamously disastrous Redbox Instant service that it shut down last fall. The difference, the report claims, is now Verizon wants “to set itself apart by focusing its service on wireless phone users,” whereas Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV and HBO Now will be primarily used by people on their wireline Internet connections.

So what’s the problem? Well, any Verizon customers know that the carrier just loves to slap users with fat fines if they go over their monthly data allotments. Video, by its nature, is a very data-intensive application. Thus, Verizon users who watch Verizon’s new TV service over its wireless network are likely to run over their data cap limits very quickly.

- Read more at BGR



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