Sen Franken questions Comcast XBox streaming as network neutrality violation

Pressure is mounting on Comcast, with Sen Al Franken (D-MN) joining critics who say the cable giant’s streaming video service over the XBox console may violate open Internet access rules.

The controversy surrounds Comcast’s launch last March of its Xfinity video streaming service over Microsoft’s XBox. The streaming service won’t count against consumers’ 250 gigabyte monthly data cap, which has sparked the ire of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and public interest groups who say the practice gives unfair preference to its own service over competitors. It’s unclear if the service is a violation of net neutrality rules since it doesn’t appear that videos streamed on the Xfinity service travel over the public Internet. The Federal Communications Commission granted approval to Comcast’s joint venture with NBC Universal in late 2010 with the condition that the company abide by “net neutrality” rules that would prohibit any favoritism of some content over others.