The Essentialest Service

The COVID pandemic has created heightened awareness of what is essential to our lives.  Administrators say that services like public health, law enforcement, energy, water, financial services, agriculture etc. are essential services.  As a commoner, however, there is one that has impacted me the most...

The internet.

The internet has come a long way since its ARPANET days.  It is no longer a measly network transporting tiny messages between two computers.  It has grown into a behemoth that effectually controls our existence.  It plays a role in almost everything we do today.  Want to order a pizza?  Click.  Want to share a photo with a friend?  Click.  Want to schedule a doctor appointment?  Click.  Think about how you and your internet connection are inseparable throughout your day.  You no longer open your curtains and announce 'Good Morning' when you wake up; you instead open Whatsapp on your phone and read all the Good Morning messages first.  Once you have made yourself coffee, you no longer step outside to pick up your newspaper; you instead click on the dozen new apps on your iPad.  You then fire up your computer and login into a plethora of applications to help you get through your work day, which then gets punctuated by a million pings emanating from your messaging apps announcing important incoming messages that you must respond to immediately because communication has to be instantaneous.  Meanwhile, your kid is in the other room, using up sizable bandwidth attending virtual school and watching video after video that the teacher designates as educational.  You finish work and have your kid login for completing homework, virtual music classes, and virtual play dates.  You then decide to unwind by throwing on some Netflix and simultaneously savoring your double life on Facebook.  Finally, when it is time to sleep, you open Whatsapp again and read all the Good Night messages.

Amid such a day, can you imagine having issues with your internet connection?  

For the last few weeks, bad internet has defined our lives.  Our household has seen some tense moments.  Every day, there are at least 2-3 instances when one of us doing something really important, and the internet connection suddenly becomes painstakingly slow or disappears altogether.  Neighbors probably know this too because every time such an event occurs, rather emphatic vocalization happens in our house. Phone conversations with our ISP's customer support and visits by technicians seem to temporarily fix the issue, but it returns soon with vengeance.  Every work meeting, every class, every live event is nerve-racking because we don't know when the internet connection will start acting up.  I'm sure you will sympathize when I say that we are currently living on edge...