Verizon has removed all speed cap restrictions for first responders fighting fires on the west coast of the US and in Hawaii, after reports emerged of firefighters in California being unable to use their phones due to throttling. Verizon added that, in the event of another disaster, it will lift restrictions on public safety customers, providing full network access.
The company acknowledged that it "didn’t live up to our own promise of service and performance excellence" when firefighters in Mendocino, California had their data access restricted after exceeding the monthly plan allowance. Verizon said it "failed some first responders", and "for that, we are truly sorry".
In an earlier statement, Verizon said this was a "customer support mistake". The company has a "practice to remove data speed restrictions when contacted in emergency situations". However, when contacted in this situation by the customer, the speed restriction was not lifted.
The company said it plans to introduce a new plan for mission-critical first responders, with unlimited data, no caps on mobile solutions and automatic priority access. Full details will be announced in the next week, and existing users can upgrade to the new plan at no extra cost.
Verizon has denied that this was an issue of net neutrality. However, the story came to light from a statement filed by the Santa Clara County fire chief supporting a lawsuit calling for the reinstatement of the previous net neutrality rules in the US. First reported by Ars Technica, the fire chief Anthony Bowden's statement said the throttling slowed the team's access to important data on the job and put their public safety efforts at risk. He said the connection was only restored after the fire service agreed to upgrade to a more expensive plan.
