As a developer of online content, you always have to be thinking "how can I interrupt my users the least and, when I do have to interrupt their service, communicate to them what the situation is and when they can expect a return to normalcy".
For example, like many other online games and services, it would be reasonable to expect EA to produce some sort of automatic news blurb to notify you that there is something going on, not to panic and that you can come back in 90 minutes to play.
After all, they manage to stream the "BUY OUR CONTENT PACK!" advertisement to you when you load the game. Certainly they could load up a small news blurb with server status. Then people wouldn't be stuck wondering if it's EA, their connection or something else (and wouldn't have to wanter over to whatever.whatever.battlefield2.whatever.whatever.ea.com/whatever/whatever).