JIM ZARROLI, BYLINE: Neither Netflix nor Comcast would reveal the terms of the deal announced yesterday, but a source familiar with the agreement said Netflix will pay Comcast to connect to its network more directly, bypassing some of the Internet companies that now act as middlemen for digital traffic. Analyst Ken Doctor, of Outsell, says that should resolve many of the buffering complaints that Comcast customers have had about Netflix. KEN DOCTOR: And that's what's important to that consumer effect of getting Netflix more directly to consumers; less buffering, less problems in the watching experience. ZARROLI: Netflix has been locked in a big battle with major Internet providers over the kind of access it gets to the web. It's been unable to reach agreement with some of the biggest providers, such as Verizon and AT&T. But Comcast is seeking regulatory approval for its giant merger with Time Warner Cable, and may have been trying to resolve what threatened to be a major public relations problem.