EU Urges Netflix to Slow Down Streaming To Stop the Internet From Breaking While We're All Quarantined At Home and Binge-Watching

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Politics | March 19, 2020 |

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Politics | March 19, 2020 |

How are you coping with splendid isolation during the coronavirus pandemic? How many TV shows have you binge-watched so far? As someone who works from home all the time as it is, I haven’t jazzed up my routine much but I did decide to pick a series at random and instantly become a huge fan of it. Shout out to Frankie Drake Mysteries. Bless you, adorable Canadian crimes series.

When you’re at home and self-distancing, it’s natural that you’ll turn your attention to the sweet and smothering grasp of the internet. Hey, what else are we supposed to do? I use Twitter way too much for reasons of self-validation as it is so you can imagine what I’m like right now as the world is burning! Of course, the downside to this is that servers are experiencing the pressures of unprecedented levels of internet usage, and now, the European Union is urging streaming giants like Netflix to step up and ensure the continent isn’t left without our blessed Wi-Fi.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who is responsible for the EU internal market covering more than 450 million people, tweeted out that he had spoken to Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings and urged companies to switch to standard definition when HD is not necessary to help ease the strain.

Important phone conversation with @ReedHastings, CEO of @Netflix

To beat #COVID19, we #StayAtHome

Teleworking & streaming help a lot but infrastructures might be in strain.

To secure Internet access for all, let’s #SwitchToStandard definition when HD is not necessary.

— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) March 18, 2020

A Netflix statement given to CNN noted that they have been ‘focused on network efficiency for many years, including providing our open connect service for free to telecommunications companies.’ Facebook also recently admitted that the effects of the pandemic were hitting the site, with their services facing ‘big surges’ in usage.

We definitely need the internet a lot right now and the last thing we need in the middle of our pandemic panic is for the web to literally break. I’m not some fancy big city tech person so I can’t add any further details on this issue, but hey, maybe switch to reading for a bit? And yes, I’m aware of the irony of me saying that while I’m using broadband to write this and watch YouTube videos of cats on my TV, so don’t bother pointing that out!