Comcast: Hasting’s ‘neutrality’ is hogwash
March 28, 2014
Comcast executive VP David Cohen says that Netflix CEO Reed Hasting’s criticisms of the two companies peering deal are “essentially hogwash.”
Speaking on C-SPAN Cohen said he truth is that Netflix was the motivator for the deal, and that Netflix wanted to cut out the wholesalers and deal directly with Comcast. “If it wasn’t for Comcast and the cable industry and the investments we’ve made in broadband, Netflix would not be as successful as it is, and Netflix has clearly enabled us to sell more broadband subscriptions.”
Cohen claimed the peering agreements are nothing new, were how the Internet was built, and have nothing to do with net neutrality or the “stronger” rules Hastings was calling for.
After the deal was done Hastings wrote that it was something of a shotgun marriage. He called for “stronger” network-neutrality rules, and that ISPs should be prevented from charging ‘an arbitrary connection tax.’
According to at least one report in the US Netflix paid less than Comcast asked, in part because the cable operator has to be careful as it navigates its proposed Time Warder Cable merger through the regulators.
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