Video isn’t breaking the internet: The industry giants are

[Commentary] We’re not nearing some technical tipping point where Netflix, YouTube, Hulu or even pay TV’s on-demand applications are about to break the web. No, it’s worse. We’re at the point where the web giants, Internet service providers, backbone providers and content companies are all trying to make their own set of rational decisions about delivering video to avoid having their servers or network assets sit idle while also trying to avoid over-investment. And as a result, consumers are stuck in the middle with no way to know what’s wrong or who’s at fault when their online video stream sucks. So whether it’s a peering battle between Verizon and Cogent that causes a poor Netflix experience or an inability to get a high quality YouTube stream at lunchtime, the consumer experience can sometimes feel like an afterthought. The problem is that video delivery on the web is fragmented.