Everybody’s favorite means of procrastination could become a little more expensive. Comcast and Netflix have struck a deal that involves Netflix paying Comcast to give the ISP’s customers faster streaming of its content. With Comcast not only being the largest internet provider in the nation, it is also something of a multimedia mega-corporation, raising arguments that this deal would violate net neutrality rules, though those rules have been struck down the federal court of appeals on the grounds of the Federal Communications Commission overstepping its bounds.

While specifics of the agreement have not been released by either company, Comcast has claimed that this deal is beneficial to both parties involved, hopefully satisfying a rise in customer complaints that Netflix had been slow to load and stream.

“[Customers will receive] a high-quality Netflix video experience for years to come,” said Comcast in a usatoday.com article, leaving definitive expectations off the table.1

Comcast has proven busy by acquiring Time Warner Cable for $45 billion just days prior to the deal with Netflix, making them the largest cable and broadband provider to Americans.

“The agreement comes just 10 days after Comcast agreed to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion, an acquisition that would make Comcast the cable provider to nearly one-third of American homes and the high-speed Internet company for close to 40 percent,” said a New York Times article.

While it is now clear that Comcast has become one of the most large and lucrative companies, there are those who believe the business conglomerate have violated the net neutrality principles, which gives content providers free and equal access to consumers.

“This is the water in the basement for the Internet industry, the first in what could be a flood of such arrangements,” said Columbia Law School professor Tim Wu in The New York Times. “I think it is going to be bad for consumers because such costs are often passed through to the customer,” he continued.

Even a minor increase in what Netflix charges could be enough to deter many customers who are able to find better resources for entertainment.

“I use it enough to get my money’s worth with Netflix, but if it got any more expensive it probably would not be worth it,” said senior Nate Kramer. “Especially with websites like Project Free TV where you can get more content than Netflix has, but for free,” he continued.

This deal between Comcast and Netflix could prove to be business at its finest. While increases in quality (however marginal) should be expected, a proportionate price increase could also be delivered, forcing customers to decide how they shall continue procrastinating.