Comcast Vs. Netflix

Don’t mess with our Netflix Instant Streaming, Comcast! We’ve got four perfectly good seasons of 30 Rock waiting for us on there!

A central partner of Netflix, Level 3 Communications, has accused Comcast of charging a new fee that adversely affects Internet video companies.

Here’s what Level 3 chief legal officer Thomas C. Stortz had to say about it:

├óΓé¼┼ôWith this action, Comcast demonstrates the risk of a ├óΓé¼╦£closed├óΓé¼Γäó Internet, where a retail broadband Internet access provider decides whether and how their subscribers interact with content.”

Dramz between the two companies started on Nov 19 when Level 3 claims that “Comcast demanded a recurring fee to transmit Internet online movies and other content to Comcast├óΓé¼Γäós customers who request such content.├óΓé¼┬¥

Here’s what Stortz had to say about Comcast’s demands:

├óΓé¼┼ôLevel 3 agreed to the terms, under protest, in order to ensure customers did not experience any disruptions.”

According to a recent study, Netflix accounts for 20% of Internet download traffic in the U.S. Due to that fact, it makes Netflix a threat to Comcast and other cable companies who seek to protect subscription TV and video-on-demand services.

Senior VP at Comcast, Joe Waz, argues that Level 3 and Netflix are sharply increasing Internet traffic with their efforts to ween customers away from DVDs-by-mail and towards online streaming.

According to Stortz, Level 3 will be asking government regulators this week to do the following:

“to take quick action to ensure that a fair, open and innovative Internet does not become a closed network controlled by a few institutions with dominant market power that have the means, motive and opportunity to economically discriminate between favored and disfavored content.├óΓé¼┬¥

This could def get ugly! All we know is we would hate to lose our Netflix Instant service, and given the fact that Netflix just went up in price, we’re thinking subscribers would NOT be happy if prices went up again so soon!

Work this out, you two! Seriously.

Team Comcast? Team Netflix? Team “I Don’t Care I Just Want To Continue Streaming Movies Online?”

[Image via WENN.]