Why Americans don't have to worry about Netflix slowing down: FCC Commissioner Carr explains

With everyone at home using so much broadband during coronavirus shutdowns, are our networks at risk of being overwhelmed? The short answer is no, according to Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr. Regarding the reduction in streaming quality in Europe by major entertainment companies, Commissioner Carr said, “We don't see any issues like that at all in the U.S. network,” he said. “We've pushed more high capacity spectrum out to wireless providers. And they can turn that out immediately. We enabled sharing regime where a wireless provider that has fallow spectrum in one part of the country can open that up to another provider that wants to use it.”

Why is the US in better shape? “Providers here have been investing so much, in fact, twice as much per person per user as their counterparts in Europe,” Commissioner Carr says. “So right now we have a robust, strong network and it's holding up very well. We're seeing peak usage extending over a longer period of time. And some of the traffic is shifting from business districts to suburban areas. But other than that, the network's performing very well right now.”