Emergency Communications

Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA-18) sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission demanding an explanation for reports that Verizon throttled the Santa Clara County Fire Department’s ‘unlimited’ data plan during the Mendocino Complex Fire. In their letter, the lawmakers ask what steps the FCC is taking to address such critical threats to public safety in the wake its decision to repeal strong net neutrality rules.

Network neutrality activists are having a field day with the recent report that Verizon “throttled” the mobile data usage of the Santa Clara County Fire Prevention District (FPD). What really happened wasn’t a net neutrality issue: The FPD simply chose a data plan for their mobile command and control unit that was manifestly inappropriate for their needs. The FPD needed a lot of high-speed 4G mobile data — up to 300 GB/month when the device was deployed.

Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR) has sent a letter to the Department of Justice concerning disruptions to 911 emergency services caused by law enforcement’s use of cell-site simulators (CSS, also known as IMSI catchers or Stingrays). In the letter, Sen Wyden states that: "Senior officials from the Harris Corporation—the manufacturer of the cell-site simulators used most frequently by U.S. law enforcement agencies—have confirmed to my office that Harris’ cell-site simulators completely disrupt the communications of targeted phones for as long as the surveillance is ongoing.

Congress created the Federal Communications Commission in order to ensure we would have working communications infrastructure for, among other things, handling public safety. So you would think that when Verizon throttled the Santa Clara (CA) Fire Department’s mobile broadband connection for coordinating response to the Mendocino Complex Fire — the largest wildfire in California history — that the FCC would naturally be all over it.

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was notable for the devastation wrought to various types of infrastructure, including communications. The adverse effect of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season on communications increased in magnitude as the season went on. Leadership at the Commission undertook fact-finding missions to the hardest-hit regions.

In the wake of a customer-service backlash involving CA firefighters, Verizon is apologizing for slowing down the data speeds of first-responders — and says it will begin offering emergency workers a new unlimited data plan to avoid future mishaps. The telecom company also said it will refrain from imposing mobile data speed restrictions on first-responders on the entire West Coast for now as they continue battling some of the worst wildfires in the region’s history.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and his staff are fond of taking to Twitter to assert that, in the just over two months since the repeal of the FCC’s 2015 network neutrality rules took effect, the “Internet remains free and open” — and that opponents’ concerns that unconstrained broadband providers will act in a way that harms consumers and competition are overblown.

Verizon slowing California firefighters’ data speeds during a wildfire crisis, but was quick to say, “This situation has nothing to do with net neutrality or the current proceeding in court.” Verizon was throttling “unlimited” customers in less extreme circumstances who hit certain data thresholds well before the Federal Communications Commission repealed net neutrality rules in 2017. But under the rules adopted in 2015, customers had a path to complain to the FCC when they believed throttling was unfair.

The storms [of Hurricanes Irma and Maria] ravaged Puerto Rico's infrastructure and economy, but we are rebuilding both to be stronger than ever. And while the work is hard, the opportunities are endless. Puerto Rico is a blank canvas, making it a unique platform for investment and innovation. That is why we are actively courting technology companies and investors to establish or expand operations on the island. Puerto Rico's biggest draw for technology companies will be the opportunity to experiment with cutting-edge technology as we rebuild our island.