Verizon’s Firefighter-Throttling Controversy Could Help AT&T
- AT&T’s FirstNet looks to sign up more emergency responders
- ‘FirstNet does not throttle first responders,’ AT&T says
Firefighters work in Lake Elsinore, California, on Aug. 10.
Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images
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Verizon Communications Inc.’s snafu with limiting data speeds of California firefighters comes at an opportune time for rival AT&T Inc., which is striving to sign up public-safety customers to its FirstNet network.
As the No. 1 wireless carrier, Verizon has long had an edge in serving emergency responders. But AT&T was already ramping up the FirstNet system this year as a dedicated network for police, firefighters and other personnel. The company made the technology available at its more than 5,300 retail locations last month, aiming to reach local agencies across the U.S.