The Net Neutrality-related Netflix vs Verizon fight over service quality continues with a new episode, as one FiOS customer managed to prove that Verizon may indeed be toying with Netflix streaming speeds, Ars Technica reports.
Customer.io CEO Colin Nederkoorn tested his Netflix service writing on his blog that he found Netflix streaming at “375kbps (or 0.375mbps – 0.5% of the speed I pay for) at the fastest” on his Verizon connection.
“I was shocked,” he said. “Then I decided to try connecting to a VPN service to compare.”
“My hypothesis here was that by connecting to a VPN, my traffic might end up getting routed through uncongested tubes,” Nederkoorn wrote. “Basically, if Verizon is not upgrading the tubes that go to Netflix, maybe I can connect to a different location (via VPN) first where Verizon will have good performance and there will be no congestion between location 2 and Netflix.”
Connecting through VyprVPN, he managed to significantly increase streaming speed, reaching “full speed at 3000kbps (the max on Netflix), about 10x the speed I was getting connecting directly via Verizon.
“Clearly it’s not Netflix that doesn’t have the capacity. It seems that Verizon are deliberately dragging their feet and failing to provide service that people have paid for. Verizon, tonight you made an enemy, and doing my own tests have proven (at least to me) that you’re in the wrong here,” he added.
A recent report from Netflix network operator Level 3 revealed that Verizon may indeed be throttling down streaming speeds on Netflix.
A video showing the FiOS vs VPN Netflix streaming speed tests follows below.
