Verizon says it shouldn’t have throttled California firefighters during wildfire emergency

Verizon said it made a mistake by not removing data restrictions on a California fire department’s wireless service after firefighters went over their data cap as they struggled to contain the state’s largest wildfire in history.

In a sworn statement filed this week as part of a legal effort to restore net neutrality rules, Santa Clara County Fire Chief Anthony Bowden said Verizon throttled the connection to one of its emergency response vehicles, which “severely interfered” with its ability to function effectively.