Flu could cause Internet clog

WASHINGTON – As the spread of the H1N1 flu keeps more Americans away from work and school, a federal report warns that all those people logging on to the Web from home could overwhelm Internet networks.

The Government Accountability Office reported earlier this week that if the flu reaches a pandemic, a surge in telecommuting and children accessing video files and games at home could bog down local networks.

If that were to happen, it is unclear whether the federal government is prepared for the problem, the GAO said.

The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of communications networks during times of national emergency. But it has no strategy to deal with overloaded Internet networks – an essential resource to keep the economy humming, and residents informed and connected during a pandemic, the GAO said. Furthermore, the DHS hasn’t coordinated with agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission to create guidelines for how telecom, cable and satellite providers can minimize congestion.

Such confusion “would increase the risk that the federal government will not be able to respond rapidly or effectively if a pandemic quickly emerges,” the GAO reported.

Network operators such as Comcast, AT&T, Cox and Verizon have limited options. Adding bandwidth capacity and laying down private lines for essential workers is expensive and time-consuming. Shutting down certain Web sites or prioritizing traffic could run into technical and regulatory hurdles, the report said. And if an Internet service provider decided to slow all connections in a certain neighborhood, it would be violating contracts with customers.

“Private Internet providers have limited ability to prioritize traffic or take other actions that could assist critical tele-workers. Some actions, such as reducing customers’ transmission speeds or blocking popular Web sites, could negatively impact e-commerce and require government authorization,” the GAO report said.

House Energy and Commerce Committee members commissioned the report, asking the GAO to specifically look at how financial markets would deal with such a scenario.

In its response to the GAO, the DHS said it didn’t know which agency had clear or specific authority to allow telecom, cable and satellite companies to block or slow traffic to cope with congestion. The FCC can grant exceptions to its Internet access rules that would allow prioritization of certain traffic in instances where public safety is in jeopardy.