[m_darkTemplar]

I still see a problem with his testing in that he might be connecting to a server in a different area which is less congested when he connects through his school's VPN.

A proper conclusive test would ensure connection to the same Netflix IP somehow over a VPN as his home connection.

[jlgaddis]

I live in the same town as the author. Comcast is not my ISP but is the ISP for several of my friends, including friends whom I stayed with for about six weeks recently when I was (for the most part) incapacitated. I can't be 100% certain (I'm going from memory) but I'm almost positive that Netflix traffic did come from the same facility that the author is hitting when connected to the school's VPN. (If it wasn't 2:33 a.m. I'd go verify.)

As I mentioned in another comment, however, the .edu is almost certainly better connected to this facility than Comcast is.