Netflix’s New Deal with iiNet Violates Net Neutrality

According to Gigaom, Netflix announced it will be coming to Australia and New Zealand on March 24^th. Netflix also announced that it reached a deal with the Australian ISP iiNet to exempt all Netflix traffic from data caps. These deals, referred to as “zero-rating” plans, provide additional options for consumers. However, this deal would violate Net Neutrality because it discriminates against all content other than Netflix.

This would not be controversial since it is occurring in Australia if Netflix had not vocalized its support for Net Neutrality rules. The Verge contacted Netflix about its contradiction and it responded with the following message:

Zero rating isn’t great for consumers as it has the potential to distort consumer choice in favor of choices selected by an ISP. We’ll push back against such efforts, but we won’t put our service or our members at a disadvantage.

Read more about zero-rating plans with relation to Net Neutrality in Randolph May’s Perspectives from FSF Scholars entitled “Net Neutrality v. Consumers.”