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This could actually be due to DNS, rather than anything particular to that edge-cache/CDN. Resolvers that aren't actually close to you (network-wise) could cause problems like this, or TWC partitioning their network in a way that causes geographically diverse locations to get lumped together, etc. In essence you'd be talking to edge-caches on the wrong edge, so to speak.

To test: try a different DNS resolver, and see if you start getting faster video loads. If you're using TWC's local resolver, try 8.8.8.8 (run by Google); if you're using Google's already try the local resolver and/or OpenDNS (208.67.222.222).

If that does work as well, I'd recommend it over the heavy-handed approach of blocking arbitrary netblocks. Especially since that second netblock listed isn't owned by Google, and so you could be collaterally blocking other content that you still want.

(Disclaimer: I work for Google, but in Ads, not anything network or YouTube related).



I'm a TWC customer, and I used to have consistently horrible YouTube speeds. I eventually got sick of it and read somewhere to try different DNS, as you suggested. I switched from TWC's DNS to OpenDNS probably around a year ago, and YouTube did become faster. It's less consistent now, sometimes loading nicely and sometimes slowly. youtube.com/my_speed claims I'm averaging 7.6 Mbps vs. the average 5.2 for my ISP and 6.4 for the region. I see occasional traffic from 206.111.0.0/16, but it seems to be coming largely from 74.125.0.0/16 and 173.194.0.0/16.


It doesn't fix the problem. I've tried TWC's DNS, OpenDNS and Google DNS and they all have the same slow YT problem.




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