SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A Northern California fire department says a telecommunications company slowed its internet communications at a crucial command center set up to help fight one of the state's largest wildfires.
KQED radio reported Wednesday that Verizon acknowledged it wrongly limited data speed to the Santa Clara County Fire Department while its firefighters helped battle the state's largest-ever wildfire in Mendocino County three weeks ago, the Mendocino Complex Fire.
The county had reached its monthly data capacity under its internet plan with Verizon when the company significantly slowed service.
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The county first disclosed the issue in a court filing last week in support of a lawsuit seeking to restore net neutrality rules repealed by the Federal Communications Commission.
Verizon blamed a communication error and said the fire department's normal service should have been restored more quickly.
