Ah, the British press. I love it. Truly, I do.

Editors are clever. The news is never dull. And best of all, no editor ever lets a story get in the way of a great headline.

Take today's Telegraph. The headline blares on the top of page 15: "Web in danger of collapse as video demand soars."

The story sounds a bit ominous, too:

Experts warn that unless billions of pounds is spent on upgrading the web's infrastructure, it could slow down or even collapse. An internet meltdown would have a disastrous impact on the economy.

[snip]

Sections of the internet are supported by copper wires that were only intended to carry voice calls. [Larry Irving, co-chairman of the Internet Innovation Alliance, an American industry group lobbying for universal improvements in the web's network] said the surge in transfers of video-related data means the risk of these wires becoming overloaded is real.

The punch line is that telecommunications companies will need to spend billions over the next few years to replace copper with fiber optic cable, and make sure there's enough bandwidth for years to come. That is, assuming nothing better comes along. Which, of course, it will.

In that way, the story strikes me as a bit too hysterical. There's a large and growing market for high-speed services over fiber. For example, I was deeply disappointed to learn that I couldn't get fiber at my new flat, even though Virgin has wired much of London. And if customers like me are willing to pay for it, fiber is soon going to be just as ubiquitous as copper, and just as profitable for the telecom companies.

So there's no need for hand-ringing. Demand for video delivered online is surging, and will continue to do so. What remains is for the telecom companies to hit the streets and start sinking the cables.