David Berry

It's as easy as Netflix and Comcast

I have Comcast internet service, and no other service such as cable or telephony in my home. The primary source of entertainment for our home is Netflix's online, instant-play catalog. I catch many shows and movies this way.

There is a vested interest, by Comcast, to make sure my experience with Netflix is poorer than any experience I could have with their content offering. And while I currently have no trouble, at some point the value of that interest will gain greater attention with the shareholders at Comcast, and a "network management" decision could be made that causes my currently enjoyable experience into misery, unless I switched to Comcast's entertainment offerings. Worse yet, instead of negatively influencing my experience with Netflix, Comcast may find it acceptable to "tax" me for it--a tax that I otherwise could avoid paying but switching to Comcast's offerings.

The present is not the future, and there is only one surefire guarantee from business: that it will make money in any legal way it can--and even some that cause question to legality. In order to protect the future of my desired combination of services and content providers, it must be illegal for Comcast, or any other network access provider, to treat their content preferentially to content from external sources.

This is why I support the cause of Network Neutrality. It helps to establish the true, legal distinction between providing access to the Internet, and providing content. And it demands equality between the two.