Why Your Netflix Has Been Slow Lately

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Local Netflix subscribers who have noticed that their streaming has been less than stellar in recent months are not alone.

Users have been seeing those spinning circles or delays in uploads more frequently, and The Wall Street Journal reports that the reason has to do with a fight over who should pay for the increased demand for Netflix' streaming video into customers' home TVs, computers and mobile devices.

As a result, internet service providers (ISPs) want money from Netflix to help service providers keep up with the demand. The ISPs contend they need to invest the cash to make their networks faster.

Netflix, meanwhile, "wants broadband companies to hook up to its new video-distribution network without paying them fees for carrying its traffic," the Journal reported.

Generally, the demand for all types of high-quality streaming video is putting a strain on the ISP bandwidth.

The Journal reported that issues started in October.

For the consumer, it appears the two sides need to come to some sort of compromise before streaming speeds improve.