Federal Communications Commission member Ajit Pai yesterday wrote a letter asking Netflix to explain why it is not participating in the development of open standards for video streaming and why, according to press reports, the largest generator of online traffic in North America is using its own proprietary software to cache its traffic.
Mr. Pai is curious about the reports that Netflix may be charting its own course for delivering video services including the development of of fast lanes for its own traffic, all while advocating for equal treatment by internet service providers of content provider traffic.
Open standards, as defined in a paper by Ken Krechner, represent common agreements that enable communications. Open standards help provide interoperabilty on the internet and maximize access to resources. I guess what drives Mr. Pai’s curiosity is if the concept of net neutrality is based on transparency of management practices and the equal treatment of data, why would Netflix want o use proprietary caching technology to speed up the transmission of its video services at the cost of competition with other content providers?
Mr. Pai has asked Netflix to respond to his letter by 16 December 2014.
