Could H1N1 Impact Internet Service?

H1N1 could impact Internet service
Posted: Nov 09, 2009 9:34 PM CST 
WKOWTV.COM

MADISON (WKOW) -- A new federal report warns an H1N1 pandemic could keep millions of Americans home sick, and therefore overwhelm residential Internet service.

A report by the Government Accountability Office said if absenteeism in this country reaches 40 percent -- and many health experts predict it could -- the Internet could get bogged down, too.

Telecommunications company TDS is taking precautions against the H1N1 virus. They've got hand sanitizer on every floor. But if the flu becomes a pandemic, they may have a bigger problem.

The report says the H1N1 could overwhelm the world wide web.

The report used this scenario:  adults working from home, kids downloading games and videos, families logging on for information about the illness -- all bogging down networks that were never built to handle all that traffic at the same time.

But Internet security specialist Mike Masino at Madison College says a flu pandemic won't be any different than Black Monday or a holiday vacation, when lots of people are online, and web sites can accommodate the extra traffic.

"Whether people are at home or work, they're pretty much using that bandwidth anyway," he said. "They do very similar things at work and home."

Some people have suggested prioritizing web traffic -- playing favorites, so to speak -- blocking the most popular web sites that account for heavy Internet traffic.

In most cases, that's against law, and undesirable for companies providing web services.

TDS says, even if usage goes up, it shouldn't be a problem.

"We regularly invest to future-proof our network with broadband and voice services that are capable to have significant increase in usage," said Drew Petersen, TDS corporate communications.

Plus, the company says, whether it's personal banking or public safety, it realizes how important web services are to everyday life.

"The proverbial question is 'can you hear me now?' Often times on a cell-phone the answer is no," Petersen said. "So, we utilize the Internet and voice services as a public safety measure."

Internet providers don't have a lot of options when it comes to controlling bandwidth usage.

Running new cable lines is expensive. Slowing transmission speeds could violate contracts with consumers.

We asked Charter and AT&T about how a pandemic could effect their Internet services.  Neither company chose to comment.

E-mail Jeff Angileri -- jangileri[at] wkowtv [dot] com