Russian Authorities Instruct Telecom Operators to Slow Down YouTube

Russian authorities have notified the country's largest telecommunications operators to slow down YouTube video playback speeds to 128 kilobits per second, according to The Moscow Times.

Sources indicate that the authorities have decided "not to turn off completely, but to greatly slow down" YouTube on home internet connections.

While mobile internet speeds for YouTube are currently unaffected, "degradation" is also occurring on smartphones, though "not as significant," the source added.