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Comment by zbowling | Hacker News Reader

Sooo.... if comcast prioritizes Xfinity traffic at a DOCSIS level and not an IP level, it's not violating net neutrality?

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hey Zac. I'm the author of the post.

That, or something like it, is Comcast's argument. Which makes no sense. This is a video streaming service, it's prioritized, and it's delivered just like other video streaming services are. Hopefully the data reflects this.

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Cable_Communications_Policy_A...

Cable transmissions are not 'internet video' transmissions. They are different. Your cable tv is a 'video streaming service' too. Xfinity tv is probably a cable communications ie. cable tv, not an internet communication (i.e. streaming tv). It's how you define it to the FCC.

I agree that Comcast is in fact trying to classify this service as a Title VI service. The implementation of this specific service seems to have far more in common with Netflix than standard cable service (even including VoD streams delivered to your STB.)

Whether the FCC considers this as a Title VI service or not is yet to be seen.

The key is that Comcast does not stream its conent to nomn Cable TV subscribers. If it did, it would bea violation, but this just seems like an alternative way of accessing Cable TV, which still needs to compete with Netflix/etc on price and content.

You need to be a Comcast subscriber to use their iPad app, but they don't have to prioritize traffic or exempt it from bandwidth limits for it to work.

Can a comcast Cable TV subscriber stream comcast content when they are not using their comcast line? Does it matter if they can?

> This is a video streaming service, it's prioritized, and it's delivered just like other video streaming services are.

So is pay per view. Rephrase your argument in such a way that pay per view is allowed and this isn't. You can't, because your argument is incorrect.

Pay per view is allowed, and so is this.

Maybe you got down voted due to tone, but I thought your comment was really valid.

I hope they legislate a more pure neutrality, but I can see how what you are saying allows them to continue this.

You can access Xfinity Streampix through the Xbox app. Streampix is an additional service which cost $4.99 per month and allows access to a library of tv shows and movies which can be viewed by customers on their PCs, Xbox360 and Apple mobile platforms. When Comcast gets around to adding streaming capabilities to their Android app presumably it will available their also.

Unlike Ondemand or pay per view pricing is not based on a per viewing or a predefined rental period. All content decisions are made by Comcast versus Ondemand where the content providers control what content is available and when it is available. For example HBO makes different content available via ondemand each month and the decision regarding which content is available is made by HBO and not Comcast.

It is like and intended to compete with Netflix and other Internet streaming services. It operates differently from traditional pay per view and content streaming services. It also is not like a traditional premium tv channel for which a monthly fee is paid. It is exactly this type of service the agreement was designed to prevent favorable treatment of versus the same type of service provided by someone besides Comcast.

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