There"d still be the matter of the grounded planes. The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull prompted a six-day airspace ban, resulting in disruption for millions of people. Worse, the severing of those cables would cause economic pandemonium. "Trillions of dollars are transported through those cables every single day," says Mani, "and that basically props up our financial markets. Our submarine cables are vulnerable, and there have been accidents over the years."