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Netflix CEO criticizes Comcast on Net neutrality, data caps

Reed Hastings denounces the cable giant for not treating its own Xfinity traffic the same way it does traffic to other Internet video services.

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Steven Musil
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings

It's no secret that Reed Hastings doesn't think too highly of Comcast.

The Netflix chief executive, who has previously criticized the cable giant's claims that it costs the company a lot to deliver Internet video, fired another salvo Sunday, slamming the company's policy on Net neutrality and data caps.

As he explained on his Facebook page, his complaint is that when Comcast subscribers watch Netflix, Hulu, or HBO Go on their Xbox consoles, it counts against their monthly data limits. However, subscribers who use Xfinity don't have their limits dinged, suggesting that Comcast is giving its service preferential treatment to keep subscribers on the service rather than straying over to Netflix.

 

Comcast representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

During an on-stage interview at a tech conference in February, Reed couldn't hide his skepticism about the high costs Internet service providers claim come with delivering Netflix videos over the Web. When asked whether the cable companies are "pressured" by the enormous amount of traffic that Netflix customers generate, Hastings sarcastically said, "That 92 percent Comcast operating margin is really under a lot of pressure...There is no financial pressure on ISPs. They are making a fortune."