Verizon Throttling Netflix Traffic as Part of Temporary Video Optimization Test

[MacRumors]

Some Verizon Wireless users this week began noticing throttled streaming speeds when watching content from streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, and Verizon today confirmed to Ars Technica that it has indeed been throttling speeds as "part of a temporary test" of a "new video optimization system."

"We've been doing network testing over the past few days to optimize the performance of video applications on our network," a Verizon spokesperson told Ars. "The testing should be completed shortly. The customer video experience was not affected."

Reports of throttled speeds first surfaced on reddit earlier this week, after Verizon users noticed that Netflix's speed test site was returning streaming speeds limited to approximately 10Mb/s, while other speed test tools, like Ookla Speedtest, were returning normal results. Similar throttled speeds were also seen when using YouTube and the actual Netflix service.

It wasn't clear what was going on until this morning, when Verizon told Ars Technica that it was conducting a temporary test of a new optimization system. According to Verizon, the optimization test did not impact actual quality of video, which is true in most cases, but some YouTube users noticed downgraded quality resolved through using a VPN. Other video services, including Verizon's own Go90 video service, are also impacted.

With Netflix, the 10Mb/s limit doesn't impact Netflix video quality when watching on a mobile device, but it has the potential to be an issue when tethering and watching on a device that can stream Netflix's Ultra HD 25Mb/s video. According to Verizon, the video optimization limits are used regardless of whether a user is tethering.

But will that actually harm your Netflix video? Probably not, as long as you're watching on your mobile device and not tethering. Netflix says its Ultra HD quality video can require 25Mbps but that's apparently just for non-mobile devices. For mobile devices, Netflix offers a few quality settings including "Unlimited," which it says "may use 1GB per 20 minutes or more depending on your device and network speeds."

When Verizon introduced its unlimited streaming data plan in February of 2017, the company said it would not throttle video or manipulate data, and Verizon was noncommittal when asked by Ars Technica if the alleged "temporary test" marked a change in policy. "We deliver whatever the content provider gives us," the company said. "We're always looking for ways to optimize our network without impacting our customers' experience."

As The Verge points out, what customers experienced appeared to be more of a hard cap than network optimization, raising some questions about Net Neutrality.

Verizon says its testing should be completed shortly, after which speeds will presumably go back to normal.

Article Link: Verizon Throttling Netflix Traffic as Part of Temporary Video Optimization Test

 

[X--X]

But Verizon will sell you their own HD-TV content for just 80 bucks a month.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with Netflix being a direct competitor ;-)

 

[stygs]

Great! I'm gonna throttle my payment as part of an "expense optimization test".

Brilliant idea VZ!

 

[ElZeus]

I'm glad I ditched Verizon earlier this year for T-Mobile and locked in my One plan at $56 a month. Yes their network isn't as good as Verizon's but at half the cost I can hold out until T-mobile gets their 600mhz network up and running.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Looks like the article is trying to make much ado about nothing, while trying to paint a nefarious picture (by inference) of Verizon not being honest about the event.

 

[ghostface147]

Silly verizon. Too bad T-Mobile doesn't have the non-metro coverage I need. On the plus side, my employer pays my bill with verizon. It was either that or Sprint.

 

[max2]

Stupid Verizon.

 

[UL2RA]

I don't see the big deal.

 

[max2]

I don't see the big deal.

Oh its a huge deal.

It is my connection I pay for.

 

[adamjackson]

It is my connection I pay for.

ISPs do not see it this way. Verizon will say:

• I own the towers
• I own the fiber
• I Own the data center
• I own the customer support and brick & mortar stores

You pay an agreed upon monthly fee to lease my service. I can cancel the contract at anytime without cause and I can keep you from accessing specific parts of the web because you are a guest on my network.

FCC would say "You're just a utility, you aren't allowed to do that" but then Verizon said "oh okay here's billions of dollars and one of our top lawyers now runs the FCC and we're gonna go back to doing things how we please"

ISPs don't want to be classified like Power companies are. But it's akin to your power company saying "You can only run Kenmore appliances from now on" Imagine the outrage of our public on both sides of the aisle about this sort of announcement from power companies but for some reason, ISPs are allowed to do that.

I don't see any reason for Net Neutrality to be up for debate except for when you trace the lobby & donation dollars back to ISPs and see that this is why it's even up for debate. ISPs rate-limiting or blocking specific websites is just like a power company not allowing LG Fridges in the homes of their customers or saying "You've used enough power today" by 9PM and only half of your house now has power (i.e. throttling).

 

[UL2RA]

Oh its a huge deal.

It is my connection I pay for.

Until this actually becomes an official matter of throttling (as in permanent), it's a non-issue.

 

[dannyyankou]

Data prioritization hasn’t been an issue for me so far. I’ve used over 25gb in a month and had no decrease in speeds.

But Verizon needs to be careful, it seems like they’re going to slowly bring throttling back.

 

[max2]

What if you use a VPN will this disable data prioritization ?

 

[barkomatic]

This sounds dodgy to me. Verizon agreed to unlimited data plans that could be throttled after 22GBs or so. If they are throttling people on these plans prior to that, than they are not living up to the agreement--even if it is temporary.

If they had conducted this "optimization test" under the FCC in the previous administration, they'd be chided by that agency pretty harshly. Not now, and don't think this won't become the norm soon across all carriers. Get ready to pay more.

 

[Zarniwoop]

For just $9,99/month you can add unlimited use of Netflix in VZ network. Otherwise it is SD video for you no matter how much you pay for Netflix.

I suppose this is part of the Make Amurica great again -scheme?

 

[VanNess]

Some Verizon Wireless users this week began noticing throttled streaming speeds when watching content from streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, and Verizon today confirmed to Ars Technica that it has indeed been throttling speeds as "part of a temporary test" of a "new video optimization system."Reports of throttled speeds first surfaced on reddit earlier this week, after Verizon users noticed that Netflix's speed test site was returning streaming speeds limited to approximately 10Mb/s, while other speed test tools, like Ookla Speedtest, were returning normal results. Similar throttled speeds were also seen when using YouTube and the actual Netflix service.

It wasn't clear what was going on until this morning, when Verizon told Ars Technica that it was conducting a temporary test of a new optimization system. According to Verizon, the optimization test did not impact actual quality of video, which is true in most cases, but some YouTube users noticed downgraded quality resolved through using a VPN. Other video services, including Verizon's own Go90 video service, are also impacted.

With Netflix, the 10Mb/s limit doesn't impact Netflix video quality when watching on a mobile device, but it has the potential to be an issue when tethering and watching on a device that can stream Netflix's Ultra HD 25Mb/s video. According to Verizon, the video optimization limits are used regardless of whether a user is tethering.When Verizon introduced its unlimited streaming data plan in February of 2017, the company said it would not throttle video or manipulate data, and Verizon was noncommittal when asked by Ars Technica if the alleged "temporary test" marked a change in policy. "We deliver whatever the content provider gives us," the company said. "We're always looking for ways to optimize our network without impacting our customers' experience."

As The Verge points out, what customers experienced appeared to be more of a hard cap than network optimization, raising some questions about Net Neutrality.

Verizon says its testing should be completed shortly, after which speeds will presumably go back to normal.

Article Link: Verizon Throttling Netflix Traffic as Part of Temporary Video Optimization Test

Typical of US phone companies. Would it have killed them to notify their customers of the test beforehand instead of letting it blow up on the internet?

 

[richard4339]

Looks like the article is trying to make much ado about nothing, while trying to paint a nefarious picture (by inference) of Verizon not being honest about the event.

But this is a big deal and a lie of omission is still dishonest. Verizon stated when you sign up for the plan, your video would not be throttled, you would only be throttled once you'd hit a bandwidth limit AND were on a congested tower, and that's not what happened. Yes, it's testing, and I'm fine with them doing testing. But not telling customers they are doing this is both dishonest AND a violation of the terms they specified.

 

[julesme]

This seems vaguely reminiscent of the "It's time for some traffic problems..." traffic study.

 

[nburwell]

I'm glad I ditched Verizon earlier this year for T-Mobile and locked in my One plan at $56 a month. Yes their network isn't as good as Verizon's but at half the cost I can hold out until T-mobile gets their 600mhz network up and running.

I couldn't agree more. On T-Mobile, I don't have to deal with the majority of the nonsense that comes from Verizon.

Yes, T-Mobile's network isn't as good as Verizon, but there is no way Verizon would match the $56/month I'm currently paying T-Mobile with their ONE plan.

 

[jscipione]

So long Net Neutrality, we barely knew you.

 

[bugeats]

I don't see the big deal.

The very fact that the ISP is doing anything to distinguish traffic as anything other than raw packets is problematic.

They are free to optimize the flow of network traffic, but the minute they start cracking open the content stream and saying "this is video" or even "this is video from one of our competitors" they cease to be neutral. How many more steps until "this is video that we've throttled to save our infrastructure costs and injected our own advertisements into"?

I suspect that what we are seeing is evidence for software/systems development in anticipation for an anti net neutrality victory. If there was any question as to the net-neutrality agenda of big ISPs, this should be red flag.

 

[max2]

So will a VPN bypass this ?

 

[coolfactor]

Great! I'm gonna throttle my payment as part of an "expense optimization test".

Brilliant idea VZ!

And so you should. Responsible financial management and budgeting is always a good thing. Is your pocket bottomless? No, and neither is Verizon's network capacity. You should be thankful that they are taking steps to ensure that your experience remains outstanding. Imagine if they did nothing and abusive users hurt your experience? Who would you direct your anger towards then?

 

[Gasu E.]

Oh its a huge deal.

It is my connection I pay for.

Were you actually impacted? Other than the stress from reading this MacRumors article.

 

[coolfactor]

So will a VPN bypass this ?

Did you read the article?

The answer is — yes.

But I ask you — why would you even bother? It's already stated that only a specific setup (tethering mobile to a large screen) would see any impact.
[doublepost=1500663631][/doublepost]

The very fact that the ISP is doing anything to distinguish traffic as anything other than raw packets is problematic.

They are free to optimize the flow of network traffic, but the minute they start cracking open the content stream and saying "this is video" or even "this is video from one of our competitors" they cease to be neutral. How many more steps until "this is video that we've throttled to save our infrastructure costs and injected our own advertisements into"?

I suspect that what we are seeing is evidence for software/systems development in anticipation for an anti net neutrality victory. If there was any question as to the net-neutrality agenda of big ISPs, this should be red flag.

They know where traffic originates, not inspecting the data packets themselves. If it's coming from Netflix's range of IP addresses, then they instigate the throttling