Netflix CEO Asks Public's Help in Fighting for Net Neutraility and Against Higher Fees For Video Streamers — AFTER He Opens Floodgates to Higher Fees By Paying Comcast

Netflix Co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings (Photo by Ben Lucier)

By Justin Bachman
Netflix (NFLX) Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings is seeking your help to keep Internet service providers from charging higher fees to stream all the video its customers watch. In the process, he may have just opened his wallet to any Cox, Time Warner Cable (TWC), Verizon Communications (VZ), or AT&T (T) across the nation.

In a blog post on Thursday, Hastings said the company’s recent decision to pay Comcast (CMCSA) millions in access fees arose from a degradation of the cable provider’s handling of Netflix data. That led to streaming glitches and other problems for Netflix customers, a situation that has also been reported by Verizon’s FiOS customers. After its payment to Comcast last month, Hastings wrote, “our members are now getting a good experience again.”

However, in the process of agitating for new, tougher net-neutrality rules, Hastings may have validated that same strategy for other ISPs: Throttle Netflix streaming until it’s unwatchable, and wait for the video service to write you a check.

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