Washington, DC (CNN Business) – The United States’ internet and wireless networks are coming under immense pressure to deliver reliable connectivity as schools and businesses confronting the novel coronavirus have shifted their day-to-day operations out of the workplace and into homes, according to industry analysts and government officials.
“This is going to be an enormous stress test for our communications networks,” said Blair Levin, a former Federal Communications Commission chief of staff and author of the agency’s 2010 plan to improve internet access nationwide.
Schools and universities nationwide have implemented remote learning plans in response to the outbreak. Countless major businesses, including Google (GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT), have asked their employees to work from home. As cities shut down bars and restaurants, routine social interactions are increasingly moving online: People are using FaceTime to connect with family and friends, Zoom for business meetings, YouTube for livestreamed events. Online games, food delivery apps and Netflix (NFLX) are becoming bigger alternatives to a dinner out.
This shift in Americans’ internet consumption patterns may soon reveal weak points in the complex ecosystem of companies, services and products that make up the internet, said Jessica Rosenworcel, a commissioner at the FCC.
From aging home WiFi routers and digital collaboration tools to exchange points in the internet backbone, there can be many potential areas of failure, Rosenworcel told CNN.
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US internet and wireless networks are coming under immense pressure to deliver reliable connectivity as schools and businesses shift day-to-day operations into homes because of the novel coronavirus, according to industry analysts and government officials https://t.co/NFXTjEelRq
— CNN (@CNN) March 22, 2020
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