Netflix to stop posting notices that irked Verizon

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix will stop sending messages blaming Verizon and other Internet service providers for problems with its video subscription service.

The decision, announced in a Monday blog post, follows a legal threat issued by Verizon last week.

Verizon threatened to sue Netflix Inc. unless the company abandoned a finger-pointing campaign that made Verizon’s Internet service look bad.

Netflix has been posting notices on some subscribers’ screens that say congestion on networks operated by Verizon and other Internet service providers hurts users’ video quality.

Netflix Inc. says the notices were part of a “small-scale test” that will end June 16. Netflix is holding out the possibility of reviving the practice on a broader scale if video-quality problems persist.

Verizon Communications Inc. didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

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