National Security

Pentagon Warns Employees Streaming March Madness Could Slow Down Its Network

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Russ Read Pentagon/Foreign Policy Reporter
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The Pentagon sent a notice to all employees Wednesday telling them to avoid streaming March Madness basketball games, as it could overload the department’s network.

The Department of Defense’s Joint Service Provider, which runs the building’s IT services, told employees that they appreciate the enthusiasm of college basketball fans, but too many visits to “non-essential” websites can slow down the building’s entire network.

“Your JSP support team acknowledges and appreciates that college basketball fans within the DoD are excited to cheer on their favorite teams, update brackets, and otherwise obsess over the Big Dance,” the JSP team told Department of Defense employees in an email obtained by CBS news. “Please keep in mind; if you’re streaming video to watch your favorite player shooting free throws, you’re consuming network resources that could be served to support the Warfighter.”

The JSP team noted it will monitor the network’s bandwidth and server availability, and that any problems should be reported to the service desk.

The NCAA’s famous 64-team tournament officially starts Thursday, and runs throughout the month. The championship game is scheduled for April 3 in Phoenix, Ariz.

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