Comcast Defends Cap-Exempt Xbox 360 Video Service

[Roger H. Veteran]

Comcast's new video services beamed to the Xbox 360 launch this week, requiring users have an Xbox Live Gold subscription and subscribe to both Comcast Xfinity TV and Xfinity broadband services. As we noted yesterday, Comcast's new video offering on the Xbox 360 won't count against the company's 250GB usage cap. As we also predicted, the announcement very quickly raised the hackles of those concerned that the move is in violation of the concept of network neutrality -- giving Comcast's own services a leg up in competition against Internet video alternatives.

"Comcast tries to justify preferred treatment for its own video on the Xbox 360 by claiming that the content is delivered over a private IP network rather than the public Internet," complained consumer group Free Press. "But not counting this video against a Comcast customer's monthly data limit gives the Comcast product an unfair advantage against other Internet video services. Unfortunately, such anti-competitive tricks may be allowed by loopholes in the FCC?s Open Internet rules, proving once again that the FCC failed to deliver on the promise of real Net Neutrality."

As we've noted, any attempt to get real network neutrality consumer protections died in a hail of partisan bickering, idiocy and gunfire. The rules the FCC did wind up passing intentionally have holes large enough to drive a convoy of rather-large vehicles through -- assuming they even survive Verizon legal assault in the first place.

In a statement, Comcast continues to argue that the service is exempt from such concerns because it never technically touches the public Internet.

story continues..

I guess in a way they are right that it's basically just another set-top box excepting you need their Internet service to use it. :rolleyes:

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

I don't see the problem, the users of the App will be their own subscribers. It won't go over their Comcast Internet cap BCAUSE THEY ALREADY SUBSCRIBE TO COMCAST/XFINITY

Why TF is there a uproar

This has nothing to do with Net Nutrality, because it's subscribers of a service watching a service on their own network.

If it was some other App, or Some other Network, then I can see the issue over prefrence. But this is an app from the same company.

Nobody is screaming Net Nutrality when VZAccess Manager doesn't take you minutes when it updates VS Windows Updates.

[neufuse Veteran]

whoa whoa whoa wait..... the service on the 360 doesnt count agains the caps ... YET COMCASTS OWN VOD SERVICE ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE DOES?! WTF!! We've always been told the comcast VOD site counts against your cap, but if you use VOD on a QAM network it doesnt (cable channel vs internet IP) and as of today that is still the policy... and the 360 one relies on IP transmission not QAM tuners

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

whoa whoa whoa wait..... the service on the 360 doesnt count agains the caps ... YET COMCASTS OWN VOD SERVICE ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE DOES?! WTF!! We've always been told the comcast VOD site counts against your cap, but if you use VOD on a QAM network it doesnt (cable channel vs internet IP) and as of today that is still the policy... and the 360 one relies on IP transmission not QAM tuners

Comcasts VOD service I'm assuming is pulling stuff from the original provider ( fox, MSNBC, History ) and can be viewed off their network on any computer with the login credentials ( I can currently view comcast content on my iPad with Verizon )

The 360 requires a Comcast connection ( just like the Verizon FIOS 360 app ) and the ESPN app detects and adjusts it's content based on provider