YouTube Says T-Mobile Is Throttling Its Video Traffic

YouTube said T-Mobile is interfering with its video traffic, raising a new issue as federal regulators examine the wireless carrier’s streaming-video strategy. T-Mobile recently began offering a program that delivers video at lower quality in exchange for waiving related data fees. YouTube and its allies say T-Mobile also is lowering the quality of video that isn’t part of the program, including YouTube clips.

YouTube said T-Mobile is effectively throttling, or degrading, its traffic. “Reducing data charges can be good for users, but it doesn’t justify throttling all video services, especially without explicit user consent,” a YouTube spokesman said. YouTube's complaint marks one of the first public objections by a major Internet company to T-Mobile's program, known as Binge On. And it will likely draw further attention from regulators in Washington.