Netflix Pushes for Data Cap Outlaw

Netflix asks the FCC to consider the possibility that low data caps on wireless networks and any data caps on wireline networks may “unreasonably limit Internet television viewing”.

Of course Netflix has an interest in removing data caps so their petition to the FCC isn’t exactly what you would call altruistic, but we’re guessing that there are many internet users out there who would probably agree with their line of thinking.

“Data caps on fixed line networks do not appear to serve a legitimate goal: they are an ineffective network management tool”, notes the company.

The FCC should recognize that data caps and UBP on fixed line networks are an unnecessary constraint on advanced telecommunications capability, the company said.

Earlier last week, Netflix contacted the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to complain that it needs to state that data caps are not reasonable. And that’s exactly what the online streaming platform is calling for, as per a comment filed to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on September 6.

That’s already starting to happen to a limited extent.

A big aspect of data caps that seems to irk Netflix is their “pay for play” nature, by which some video services can pay to have their traffic not count against data caps. For a while, those caps were limiting people to 300GB, which was easy enough to hit. The company also recently raised the cap from 300 gigabytes per month to a terabyte.

Beyond challenging the very existence of data caps, Netflix criticized internet providers that use them in a discriminatory manner, favoring some online companies over others by exempting certain sites from monthly data limits.

Basically, Netflix thinks data caps are getting in the way of you watching Netflix as much as you want to.

“An above average television watcher, a multi occupant household, or a consumer wishing to watch in 4K requires a much higher cap or allotment”, the filling said. In 2014, a US Government Accountability Office report found that a majority of in-home, or “fixed-line”, Internet providers employ usage-based pricing, while all four top mobile phone providers use the model.

Resolution of this issue will likely depend on the FCC’s interpretation of Net Neutrality guidelines imposed in the Open Internet Order. Moreover, the US FCC is mandated to take necessary actions if the said services are not reasonably and efficiently delivered to all citizens.