• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

AI CEOs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft set aside their rivalry to warn Congress AI is making it too easy to design and create bioweapons

2

Social Security faces a 24% cut in 2032—that's a $345 billion hit to retirees nationwide, watchdog says

3

Billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg used mortgages to buy multimillion-dollar mansions. Here’s why that’s a savvy financial decision

1

AI CEOs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft set aside their rivalry to warn Congress AI is making it too easy to design and create bioweapons

2

Social Security faces a 24% cut in 2032—that's a $345 billion hit to retirees nationwide, watchdog says

3

Billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg used mortgages to buy multimillion-dollar mansions. Here’s why that’s a savvy financial decision

Hastings’ Facebook rant draws FCC’s attention

By
Dan Mitchell
Dan Mitchell
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Dan Mitchell
Dan Mitchell
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 17, 2012, 12:09 PM ET

FORTUNE — People are still paying attention to Reed Hastings after all. The Netflix (NFLX) CEO’s Sunday rant directed at Comcast (CMCSA), a favorite target of his, is getting all kinds of attention. Including, reportedly, the attention of the Federal Communications Commission, which is looking into the matter. Comcast, he says, is violating net-neutrality rules by favoring its own video streams on its Xfinity network over those of competitors.

Many of the responses have to do with his chosen venue: Facebook. Some commentators have remarked upon this choice. But this isn’t new for Hastings, who after all sits on Facebook’s board. And it makes sense: a blog post or, certainly, a press release probably wouldn’t have gotten so many media outlets to pick up on this. Posting it to Facebook makes it seem more personal and more visceral — more like a rant rather than a mere expression of a company’s position. It’s possible that if the company had simply issued a press release, it would have gotten little attention and the FCC might never have picked up on it.

Hewing to the personal, Hasting said he spent the weekend using “four good Internet video apps” through his Xbox: Netflix, HBO Go (TWX),  Xfinity and Hulu. Only in the case of Xfinity, he said, was the stream not counted against his Comcast data cap.

“For example,” he wrote, “if I watch last night’s SNL episode on my Xbox through the Hulu app, it eats up about one gigabyte of my cap, but if I watch that same episode through the Xfinity Xbox app, it doesn’t use up my cap at all. The same device, the same IP address, the same wi-fi, the same internet connection, but totally different cap treatment. In which way is this neutral?”

Good question. Comcast didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment. As Time’s Matt Peckham notes, Xfinity streams video over its own private IP network. But that network “still intersects with the Internet where streaming rivals like Netflix or Hulu are concerned,” he writes. In other words, for end users, it doesn’t matter that Comcast’s network is private. They still get their video from the public Internet, which is supposed to treat all data equally.

About the Author
By Dan Mitchell
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

The Strait of Hormuz is more open than previously thought as the U.S. shoots down Iranian drones threatening ships and provides ‘naval overwatch’
EnergyIran
The Strait of Hormuz is more open than previously thought as the U.S. shoots down Iranian drones threatening ships and provides ‘naval overwatch’
By Jason MaJune 6, 2026
1 hour ago
Trump says he supports salary cap for Major League Baseball
North AmericaMLB
Trump says he supports salary cap for Major League Baseball
By Jordan Fabian and BloombergJune 6, 2026
3 hours ago
Oil drilling rises in longest U.S. streak since 2022 on price bump
EnergyOil
Oil drilling rises in longest U.S. streak since 2022 on price bump
By Emma Sanchez and BloombergJune 6, 2026
3 hours ago
SpaceX and other mega IPOs may wait years to join the S&P 500
InvestingS&P 500
SpaceX and other mega IPOs may wait years to join the S&P 500
By Bailey Lipschultz, Vildana Hajric and BloombergJune 6, 2026
3 hours ago
During D-Day speech in France, Hegseth invokes immigration and says ‘When will European capitals do something about that invasion?’
EuropeImmigration
During D-Day speech in France, Hegseth invokes immigration and says ‘When will European capitals do something about that invasion?’
By The Associated PressJune 6, 2026
4 hours ago
Former AI czar calls Sanders’ proposal for government equity a ‘stupidity tax’ and warns against nationalization as Trump mulls public stakes
AIregulation
Former AI czar calls Sanders’ proposal for government equity a ‘stupidity tax’ and warns against nationalization as Trump mulls public stakes
By Jason MaJune 6, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

AI CEOs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft set aside their rivalry to warn Congress AI is making it too easy to design and create bioweapons
AI
AI CEOs from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft set aside their rivalry to warn Congress AI is making it too easy to design and create bioweapons
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 5, 2026
2 days ago
Social Security faces a 24% cut in 2032—that's a $345 billion hit to retirees nationwide, watchdog says
Economy
Social Security faces a 24% cut in 2032—that's a $345 billion hit to retirees nationwide, watchdog says
By Nick LichtenbergJune 5, 2026
2 days ago
Billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg used mortgages to buy multimillion-dollar mansions. Here’s why that’s a savvy financial decision
Real Estate
Billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg used mortgages to buy multimillion-dollar mansions. Here’s why that’s a savvy financial decision
By Sydney LakeJune 6, 2026
13 hours ago
MacKenzie Scott's approach to her $26 billion giving spree was inspired by a book she read in college about writing
Success
MacKenzie Scott's approach to her $26 billion giving spree was inspired by a book she read in college about writing
By Sydney LakeJune 5, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 5, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 5, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 5, 2026
1 day ago
Ohio city workers are covering automated license plate readers with trash bags as officials sound the alarm on 'egregious violations' of privacy
Cybersecurity
Ohio city workers are covering automated license plate readers with trash bags as officials sound the alarm on 'egregious violations' of privacy
By Sasha RogelbergJune 3, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.