Could the flu bring the Web to its knees?

If the flu pandemic becomes as severe as some experts fear, it could end up infecting the Internet. That's the conclusion of the General Accountability Office, which issued a report this week that warned about a potential meltdown of the Web.

If the H1N1 flu strain spreads widely enough, keeping millions of workers and students confined to their homes, the Internet's infrastructure could be overwhelmed by people logging in from home.

That surge in telecommuting, the report concluded, could slow down local networks to the point of gridlock.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, "increased demand during a severe pandemic could exceed the capacities of Internet providers' access networks for residential users and interfere with teleworkers in the securities market." And if that happens, the federal government may not be prepared to handle the problem, it said.

"Given the importance of the Internet infrastructure to our nation's communications and commerce, we suggested that Congress consider clarifying the legal framework guiding Internet recovery," according to the GAO report. "While a pandemic will not directly damage physical infrastructure such as power lines or computer systems, it could threaten critical systems by potentially removing the essential personnel needed to operate them from the workplace for weeks or months."

The GAO report found that a flu emergency would present unique challenges different from other emergencies such as a terrorist attack because outbreaks likely would come in waves, with sick workers and students placing prolonged stress on the network as they try to stay in touch with their bosses and teachers.

But Homeland Security officials have not come up with a strategy to deal with the problem, the report concluded.