Would this be a bad gift is net neutrality is eliminated?

[katie01]

Please refrain from making political comments, I am trying to keep this strictly about whether or not I should get this for my parents' Christmas gift. They are impossible to buy for, but since they have eliminated cable and just have the antennae now, I thought maybe DH and I could pay for a Netflix subscription for Christmas? Maybe it's too hard to say since no one knows what is actually going to happen or how it will affect streaming, but I'm wondering if net neutrality is eliminated, would this be a bad gift? If it's going to slow their connection speeds down so much that it won't be worth it trying to watch anything online, or if they will have to pay to increase speeds.

 

[CrankyDad]

I don’t see an issue. Don’t get hung up on the issue. Netflix sounds like a great gift for a cord cutter.

 

[xjillianpaige]

I'd get it. The net neutrality thing isn't going to be immediate and it sounds like there are still things that can happen to put a halt to the change all together. Pay for a year and then reassess next December (or earlier if it suits you - you can cancel the subscription at any time).

 

[phorsenuf]

Do you have Netflix? If so, just add them onto it.

 

[Geoff_M]

Go ahead, it will be fine. The actual chances of the worst case scenarios actually happening are pretty small.

 

[sk!mom]

I wouldn't worry about net neutrality now as no one really knows how streaming may change. As someone who hasn't had cable for a few years though, they will need a fast internet speed and a decent data package if it's something they will use a lot. There is too much buffering with a slower connection and it's easy to use a ton of data.

 

[rotlex]

Considering net neutrality has only existed for the past two years, I don't think you have much to worry about.

 

[kimblebee]

Get them Netflix and let them know if they have to end up paying more for it that you’ll cover that too.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Considering net neutrality has only existed for the past two years, I don't think you have much to worry about.

Exactly.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Honestly the biggest issues for net neutrality are going to be things like barriers to entry and lack of fringe information imo.

If Netflix gets throttled they’ll just go back to paying telecom companies For bandwidth just like they did before.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

I can't see how they would rise rates on people who paid for yearly subscription.

 

[cvjw]

The biggest drawback to Netflix is the amount of data it uses to stream movies. If you give Netflix to your parents, make sure they have the data on their internet plan to enjoy it.

Net neutrality was only put in place in 2015. I had the same internet in 2015, 2016, 2017, and will have the same in 2018. The internet did not stop when it was repealed.

 

[Colleen27]

In addition to all the very good advice above, I'd like to point out that while net neutrality was in place some of the biggest ISPs made major investments in or arranged cooperative agreements with the streaming leaders. For example, Comcast has a stake in Netflix and has partnered with them to include a pre-installed Netflix app on their set-top cable boxes. So even without NN, it isn't as though Comcast is likely to return to throttling Netflix traffic now that those financial relationships are in place.

 

[mousefan73]

The effects of net neutrality will not be felt immediate, but will slowly over the years be snuck upon us. It will slowly start with some content ( in limited amounts so less people notice) Either it will be cut or a "premium" charge. Most is speculation at the moment. Though the possible IMPLICATIONS are huge. and we all must be vigilant to notice any changes and scream. My main concern is does CNN or FOX show up when I type in "news" how will this be controlled in the future? or will my local internet shop not show up as Amazon pays comcast to kick others out? But one can argue the internet as it was developed decades ago is already dead thanks to Google ( people pay for placement) and apple etc...

for netflix in your case.. no issue right now..

 

[tcufrog]

I agree to pay to add profiles for them to your account. That’s what my sister did and it was cheaper than creating a new account.

 

[rwdavis2]

I agree to pay to add profiles for them to your account. That’s what my sister did and it was cheaper than creating a new account.

This is an excellent idea. The only drawback, I think, is that the number of simultaneous users on the same account may be limited.

 

[tcufrog]

I don’t know what the limit is. Right now I think we have paid for 6 profiles: both kids, my sister (original) my dh, my mom and me.