“The Netflix debate tells us there is a yawning gap between the reality of current network architecture and the outdated theories supporting our regulatory policies. This gap is the single biggest threat to the virtuous cycle of invention, investment, and growth that have characterized the Internet over the last decade.”
I’m having my own case of Cassandrafreude after reading the responses to my posts on Netflix’s decision to block consumer access to its new Super HD service. One commenter says it is a “great thing” that Netflix is relieving Internet congestion (a tacit admission that Internet congestion actually exists) by deploying computing power inside ISP networks. Another commenter suggests Netflix is attempting to “vertically integrate (from just content provider to content provider + CDN)” because “existing CDNs may not be equipped to handle the new traffic Netflix wants to push over them.”