[antsar]

I've had streaming issues with both Netflix and Youtube while using Verizon FiOS in the past. I then connected to my University's VPN and instantly enjoyed smooth-as-butter streaming on both sites.

There's a good chance you'll have the same experience with a VPS, depending on what networks the VPS's traffic routes through.

The problem is that traffic from you to Netflix travels through several networks, and at each link between networks it will face varying amounts of congestion depending on the size of that link. There is a link somewhere between $BAD_ISP and Netflix that, due to political/business reasons[0], hasn't been upgraded to accommodate more traffic.

By connecting through a VPN, you may be able to circumvent this as long as the route from you-->VPN-->netflix doesn't travel across the problematic peering point.

[0] Screwing you over; Promoting the ISP's own competing services (TV, for example); Attempting to extract payment from Netflix since its "their traffic"[1], despite the fact that you are already paying them for this connection.

[1] https://www.google.com/search?q=comcast+level3