Real-Life Example of Net Neutrality Debate (Part 8 of a multi-part series)

'm taking this opportunity to underscore the real world implications of the net neutrality debate. So far I've only talked about the academic/theoretical implications, but the truth is, the debate and it's outcome will have an impact on all of us. On October 16th, that impact was felt across the New York region.

If you were a Cable Vision subscriber and happened to visit Hulu on Friday 10/16 to watch something from Fox you would have received a the following message:



Fox (and it’s owner News Corp) and Cable Vision are in a dispute over carriage fees for Fox’s signal on Cable Vision’s network. These kinds of disputes are more and more common in the world of cable television, but this is the first time I can think of that it has impacted Internet users. Net Neutrality regulation would have allowed Cable Vision subscribers to access Fox’s content on the web.  The dispute between the two companies has been ongoing for a while now, however, the “negotiations” are clearing escalating. With the MLB playoffs and World Series and the Sunday NFL season on Fox, the stakes are clearly high. Fox and Cablevision ultimately reach a deal on October 18th, in time for 3 Million New Yorkers to catch game three of the world series.

Good Talk,
Tom