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the-future-now:

Netflix’s new site is a giant “f*ck you” to Comcast and Time Warner

Netflix launched a site late Wednesday night called Fast.com, where — in one click — anyone browsing the internet can see how fast their internet speed is. Although it’s great for consumers, some internet providers might not be happy about the new website.

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Fuck Comcast

Netflix didn’t invent that it’s been around

Netflix didn’t invent speed checks, but this site is Netflix’s.

Okay, so here’s why Netflix speedtest is so brilliant. 

Most of us know about Speedtest.net, right? Well Comcast and Time Warner know about it too. They know customers use it to check to see if they’re getting what they are paying for. Comcast techs even tell customers to check their speed with Speedtest.net. 

So, to make sure people think they are getting good speeds, Comcast and Time Warner prioritize traffic going to Speedtest.net. When you check your speed there it’s artificially inflated. That is NOT the speed you are getting when you browse tumblr and that is definitely not the speed you get when you watch Netflix. 

Comcast and Time Warner can not artificially inflate the results by prioritizing traffic to Fast.net unless they also prioritize traffic to Netflix, and they definitely do not want to do that. 

That is so fucking slimy. Good for Netflix

It’s worse, really: Speedtest is provided by a company named Ookla, who deploy the servers it uses. Companies like Comcast can pay to host those servers *on their networks*, and they do: next
time you visit Speedtest.net, look for the line telling you who the server is provided by. If you use a big ISP, chances are its them.

This means the test never actually goes out over the Internet proper: it stays almost entirely within the bounds of your ISP’s network. Unless there’s an issue with your modem itself, that makes it a nearly useless metric.

Good Tools like Fast.com and DSLReports’ speed test test in multiple servers all over the Internet, and average the results. Use them.

^^^^IMPORTANT^^^^^

the cable companies want you to believe they aren’t given you shit service even if they have to pay off sites made to keep you woke