Apple is currently in discussions with Comcast for “special treatment” on a set-top box, according to The Wall Street Journal. If the companies reach a deal, Comcast would potentially offer Apple’s streaming content priority services over the “last mile” of cabling between the provider and customers’ homes. This would mean that Apple’s service could potentially avoid the problems of internet congestion, which Netflix recently struck a deal with Comcast to alleviate.

According to the WSJ’s sources, the companies aren’t close to agreeing on a deal just yet. To meet Apple’s demands, Comcast would need to invest in more technology. The two companies are also reportedly disagreeing on who keeps customer information and whether or not Apple is given a share of Comcast’s subscription fees.

If Apple is successful, the deal would give Apple’s rumored set-top box a substantial advantage in the US. But the deal, along with Netflix’s recent move, does not bode well for the future of net neutrality.

The rumored redesigned Apple TV is expected to be announced sometime later this year.

[via WSJ, The Verge]