Fire Chief from CA: Verizon Throttling Data Was a Safety Threat

According to testimony and documents provided by the fire chief of Santa Clara County, one of the CA counties fighting the largest wildfire in the state's history, throttling of its Internet speeds per a lower-priced Verizon data plan had a significant impact the department's ability to provide emergency and potentially life-saving services. The documents came in the legal challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's lifting of regulations against online blocking, throttling and paid prioritization.

Fire chief Anthony Bowden said that county fire personnel had to use other agencies Internet service providers and their own personal devices and that while Verizon did ultimately lift the throttling, it was only after the fire department had subscribed to a new, more expensive, plan. That came after, in the midst of responding to the Mendocino Complex Fire, they found that their data rates had been reduced to 1/200th or less of previous speeds, meaning it was essentially nonfunctional, "despite being informed that throttling was actively impeding County Fire's ability to provide crisis-response and essential emergency services," he told the court, adding: "Even small delays in response translate into devastating effects, including loss of property, and, in some cases, loss of life."