Apple Pursues Controversial Deals with ISPs to Pay for Better Service

Apple is negotiating to connect its growing network of servers with Internet service providers, a move that would provide the company with better connections for software updates and cloud services, according to an industry analyst.

The deals, similar to the ones Netflix signed with Verizon and Comcast, would link Apple's content delivery network (CDN) — the company's private system of servers placed around the country to serve consumers — directly with the infrastructure of ISPs. These connections would allow Apple to sidestep much of the broader Internet.