Netflix and Other Services Are Crippling the Internet

With schools closed, many companies having employees working from home, and people in self quarantine, many are turning to streaming devices. Netflix is one of the most popular platforms worldwide, and its increased usage is putting the internet under unprecedented strain. Especially when videos are streamed in HD.

CNN says that the internet and wireless networks in the United States are coming under huge pressure. CNN also reports that EU officials are concerned about the internet bandwidth being used by Netflix and other services. They are asking Netflix and users themselves to switch to standard definition, which uses less data that HD.

EU Commissioner Thierry Breton said this week that he has spoken to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and asked Netflix to switch to standard definition when HD is not necessary, in order to secure internet access for all.

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

According to Netflix, streaming video in HD uses around 3GB data per hour, while standard definition uses less than a quarter of that, around 0.7GB per hour. Netflix already adjusts the quality of streams based on the network capacity.

Netflix is not the only culprit. With kids being home from school, popular games like Fortnite and Call Of Duty are also using a lot of data. Gamers report using anywhere between 45-100 MB per hour playing Fortnite