AT&T and Verizon usually get all the blame when it comes to throttling mobile data speeds, but in the case of Netflix, the service has revealed that it is to blame for lowering the video quality on mobile streaming videos.
Netflix says it has been limiting video speaks on AT&T, Verizon, and most other wireless carriers across the globe for the last five years, in order to “protect consumers from exceeding mobile data caps” that would stop them from binging on all of the service’s shows.
Netflix told the Wall Street Journal that streams are capped at 600 kilobits-per-second slower that what should be possible. The company hadn’t revealed the practice to customers or networks, however the issue was uncovered last week after T-Mobile’s CEO claimed AT&T and Verizon customers were receiving throttled streams.
Customers on T-Mobile and Sprint are not subjected to any throttling because Netflix says the companies have historically had more consumer-friendly policies. Instead of adding extra charges for going over data caps, T-Mobile and Sprint usually just slow down a customer’s connection.
The revelation that Netflix is doing the throttling is a bit of a shocker as the company has been a big advocate of the net-neutrality fight to treat all internet traffic equally. The steaming video service is the largest data consumer in the US which has led it to get into multiple fights with carriers and Internet service providers.
AT&T’s VP of legislative affairs, Jim Cicconi rebuked Netflix for the throttling saying the company is “outraged to learn that Netflix is apparently throttling video for their AT&T customers without their knowledge or consent.” Meanwhile, Verizon’s spokesperson merely stated “Verizon delivers video content at the resolution provided by the host service, whether that’s Netflix or any other provider.”
Netflix says its working on new ways to give customers more control over their video streaming quality in the future by rolling out a data saver in May that will let you set how much of your data plan you want to use.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
5 responses to “Netflix admits to throttling video speeds on AT&T and Verizon”
Bastards.
I love T-Mobile and John Legere, YouTube now on BingeOn! Funny to learn that the quality netflix that we get is the same as ATT and Verizon except we don’t have to pay for it… No reason not to be with T-Mobile.
I hate Verizon & AT&T much as the next customer, but t-mobile has shit service in many areas.
They’re patching those holes very quickly. Fastest LTE in the country, #1 JDP customer care, #1 carrier consumer reports.
I still remember a decade ago when we couldn’t get any T-Mobile signal inside our new restaurant then. I had to go outside the building to make phone calls. Even that was spotty to say the least. Every time I called T-Mobile’s customer service, they would offer me 2000 additional minutes for my troubles. I told them it was fine but I wouldn’t be able to use those minutes anyway. She put me on hold for a couple of minutes and came back with her “Good” news. She told me that if I walked one block, their cell signal was supposed to be solid according to her computer. They wanted me to walk a block to get decent coverage. LOL. Then they told me that they were working on putting a tower in our area, oh in about 1.5 years, but she couldn’t tell me for sure exactly when. Fast forward to 2016, same black hole exists in that same area and many other areas around town. It doesn’t matter to me anymore since losing me as a customer in 2006. But our restaurant customers with T-Mobile still complains of lack of cell service. Thank God for wifi calling. My parents, on the other hand, have great coverage around their place of residence. The only comical instance with T-Mo and my father was at the Disney parks and resorts in Florida. It became a norm to lose touch with him until he walked around the parks and resorts to find a decent T-Mo coverage. He couldn’t even use his Netflix inside their hotel room and Disney didn’t provide free wifi inside the rooms around that time in 2013. As soon as he could find a very strong signal, he would quickly brag and show me his speedtest result. LOL!