In this case, Comcast has two choices: raise prices on all their customers, or raise prices on Netflix's customers by charging Netflix for their increased usage. Prior to paying Comcast for transit, if Netflix decided to push 4k streams, that decision carried no repercussions for Netflix. Now they have to do a business case to see if the increased cost is worth it.
I know it's not a popular opinion on HN, but I don't think it's unreasonable for Comcast to ask Netflix to shoulder some of the cost. It also has the added benefit of incentivizing Comcast to provide faster service. If they can charge Netflix more for pushing more data, then it directly leads to more profit if their users consume more data.
I know it's not a popular opinion on HN, but I don't think it's unreasonable for Comcast to ask Netflix to shoulder some of the cost. It also has the added benefit of incentivizing Comcast to provide faster service. If they can charge Netflix more for pushing more data, then it directly leads to more profit if their users consume more data.