The CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings, discussed these days with the European commissioner for the internal market about the problems that the Corona virus pandemic brings to the Internet networks in the European Union. Netflix has a great interest in the internet going well, and in being as fast as in the past, and this is because it wants as many people as possible to watch its movies, and the European Commission has the power to support good functioning .
Netflix is concerned that there could be serious congestion in Europe's internet networks due to the fact that more and more people are working from home, and the European commissioner has asked people to watch movies in SD format. This requirement is based on the fact that watching movies on Netflix in HD, or 4K format, also generates much more traffic than in the case of lower resolutions, this also generates congestion.
Netflix and the European Commission want to Keep the Internet Functional in the Coronavirus Pandemic
Netflix is one of the online services that generates the biggest congestion for internet networks, and this is due to the fact that people generally watch a lot of movies. Of course, in this situation, the European Commission can't do much other than ask Netflix to stop viewing movies and series in high resolution, this could help a lot in solving congestion problems.
Important phone conversation with @ReedHastingsCEO of @Netflix
I'm drunk # COVID19, we #StayAtHome
Teleworking & streaming help a lot but infrastructures might be abroad.
To secure Internet access for all, let's #SwitchToStandard definition when HD is not necessary.
- Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) March 18, 2020
The European Commission is more than sure in constant contact with the big internet service providers to see to what extent traffic levels are increasing in the Union since several countries have forced their citizens to stay at home. These decisions put a lot of pressure on the fixed and mobile internet networks that exist in these countries, and the collaboration between the European Commission and the companies that offer various online services is essential in situations of this kind.
Netflix will remain in contact with the European Commission to keep this problem under control, so it remains to be seen exactly what will happen with the initiatives regarding keeping internet networks free of congestion.
