“Streaming platforms, telecom operators and users have a joint responsibility to take measures to ensure the smooth functioning of the internet during the battle against the spread of the new coronavirus,” said European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton , in a statement sent to the press today.
After talking with the executive chairman of the Netflix series and movies platform, Reed Hastings, Thierry Breton stresses in the note that “Europe and the whole world are facing an unprecedented situation” due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
“Governments have taken steps to reduce social interactions to stem the spread of Covid-19 and have encouraged teleworking and online teaching,” he recalls.
That is why, according to the European commissioner, it is now up to the streaming platforms and telecommunications operators to find “the most appropriate solutions to avoid internet congestion”.
With regard to streaming platforms such as Netflix, the community executive proposes that they adapt their services to demand, for example, temporarily offering standard image quality instead of high definition, also taking into account the hours of greatest demand .
With regard to telecommunications operators providing internet services, Brussels calls for measures to avoid and mitigate the impacts of the impending network congestion.
As for citizens, users, the European Commission asks for “responsible use”, suggesting configurations that reduce data consumption, including the use of `Wi-Fi`, options for a lower content resolution whenever possible.
The new coronavirus, responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic, infected more than 210,000 people worldwide, of whom more than 8,750 died.
Of the infected people, more than 84,000 have recovered from the disease.
China recorded 11 deaths and 13 new cases of infection by Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, but only one is from Wuhan, all the other 12 are imported.
The outbreak began in China in December and has already spread to 170 countries and territories, which has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a pandemic situation.
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