All T-Mobile has to do is NOT be Verizon

[adam1991]

Verizon throttled fire department’s “unlimited” data during Calif. wildfire

[wilbur101]

Verizon is such a turd of a company. They said it was a tiered plan with safety mode, then unlimited. Such a joke. Verizon has no defense on this one. They treat firefighters who save lives just as bad as the regular customers. If they weren't on the right plan Verizon should have told them, they are first responders so Verizon knew what kind of usage they would need.

Also, TMobile is already better than Verizon

[@TheRealDanny]

Public safety customers should always be routed to the care team that can handle their requests appropriately and should be available 24/7.

They also shouldn't be put on rate plans subject to throttling IMHO.

[themanhimself]

Verizon probably should have done 2 things. First, made sure they were on the appropriate plan etc. Also, they should have made an exception during something like that. The bad press is way more costly in the long run

Two firefighter neighbors both ported out of Verizon after they saw that out of principle

[adam1991]

T-Mobile should immediately form a special Team of Experts addressing *precisely* these types of people and their situations, and givesuch users an attractive product that's never throttled AND that gives them 24x7 access to the Team of Experts--who themselves have 24x7 access to Legere's people to clear roadblocks.

And then T-Mobile should market this to death. Even better, they should market it via press release and interviews with the press, and by making the rounds of the news shows.

[mm18]

Some people are cowards and do what they are told.

[L33]

Hopefully the data load they throttled worth all the bad PR.

[SoNic67]

Public safety customers should always be routed to the care team that can handle their requests appropriately and should be available 24/7.

They also shouldn't be put on rate plans subject to throttling IMHO.

Sure, every private company should provide free services and perform free upgrades of their network, just because... ?
Oh, wait, maybe should I pay (on my cell plan) for that? Because I live on the other coast and my politicians are not busy wasting public resources like the ones in California?

COPS requirements in NFPA70 are a starting read for un-informed people.
The cell service was NEVER intended to be used for first responders, heck we cannot use the regular cell service to connect a fire alarm panel (in a commercial business) with the fire department! NFPA 72 says that we need two land lines or, if the local Fire Marshall approves, two cell providers with "supervision" of the wireless connection.
The first responders where given free frequencies/bandwidth by FCC, that is what they should use in emergencies cases!

[BuffaloTF]

Sure, every private company should provide free services and perform free upgrades of their network, just because... ?
Oh, wait, maybe should I pay (on my cell plan) for that? Because I live on the other coast and my politicians are not busy wasting public resources like the ones in California?

COPS requirements in NFPA70 are a starting read for un-informed people.
The cell service was NEVER intended to be used for first responders, heck we cannot use the regular cell service to connect a fire alarm panel (in a commercial business) with the fire department! NFPA 72 says that we need two land lines or, if the local Fire Marshall approves, two cell providers with "supervision" of the wireless connection.
The first responders where given free frequencies/bandwidth by FCC, that is what they should use in emergencies cases!

I don't know what you're going on about here... but at no point did the post you replied to call for free service.

They stated they should be on a rate plan that isn't subject to throttling. As in, they pay for service like we all do, but that service doesn't have the 20-whatever GB threshold to be throttled. Kinda like AT&T's FirstNet.......

[wilbur101]

Wilbur, have you ever ran a business bigger than a lemon aide stand. Yes, this is an unfortunate issue, and more than likely is just a bureaucratic blunder by both vzw and more so by the agency who originally negotiated the service agreement,who i would assume are I'm the fire fighting business, not vzw who is in the communications business I'm sure the contract between vzw and whatever inempt agency clearly spelled out the rules for throttling and numerous numerous other issues. From what I've read California is to a large extent responsible for the extensive nature of these fires by the stupidly improper use of irrigation water resources for for last several decades. California's beyond idiotic inept state and local governments imo should have recognised those potential issues, and requested the proper exemptions necessary for emergency services, but no they're out debating the rights of some potentially extinct bug, bird or fish rather than the welfare of it's citizens. And why did you think they chose vzw as their provider in the first place, if Tm were the superior carrier as your unsubstantiated opinion suggests.

Also you may have the best education ever, but your choice of words tend to indicate otherwise, and those using such vulgar, crass language are usually ignored and written off as not being worthy of consideration.

Lemonade stand? Did you learn that in college? You defend a company that treats firefighters like garbage? That's crazy. I hope you don't work in customer service or make business decisions. Your motto is probably get the money at all costs even if lives are at stake. That's pretty sick

So you run out of insults and just make up the education part? Real smart there

My point is verizon has no excuse for how they took care of things.

[adam1991]

Wilbur, have you ever ran a business bigger than a lemon aide stand. Yes, this is an unfortunate issue, and more than likely is just a bureaucratic blunder by both vzw and more so by the agency who originally negotiated the service agreement,who i would assume are I'm the fire fighting business, not vzw who is in the communications business

Firefighters are experts in fighting fires and emergency response. VZW are experts in telecommunications. It was up to VZW to act in a consultative way to provide full information from THEIR area of expertise to make sure that the non-expert customer has what he needs to solve his problems.

It sounds, though, like VZW was just taking orders and selling hamburgers. Screw them.

[wilbur101]

Firefighters are experts in fighting fires and emergency response. VZW are experts in telecommunications. It was up to VZW to act in a consultative way to provide full information from THEIR area of expertise to make sure that the non-expert customer has what he needs to solve his problems.

It sounds, though, like VZW was just taking orders and selling hamburgers. Screw them.

I agree. Verizon screwed up on this one plain and simple

[SoNic67]

I don't know what you're going on about here... but at no point did the post you replied to call for free service.

They stated they should be on a rate plan that isn't subject to throttling. As in, they pay for service like we all do, but that service doesn't have the 20-whatever GB threshold to be throttled. Kinda like AT&T's FirstNet.......

They got the service that they PAID for. Anything on top of that would be a freebee.
Like priority management, capacity upgrades and local towers equipped to be self-reliant in case of mass emergencies.

They have their own VHS bands, but their bosses are too cheap to buy 2-way radios and maintain them? And blame the private company for that?
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=7742

PS: AT&T FirstNet was another government hand-out - free bandwidth (band 14) for the promise from AT&T to have a cell working. Why would have any other company, that didn't get free bands, provide the same service?

[DRNewcomb]

I agree. Verizon screwed up on this one plain and simple

I'm not so sure about that. Fire departments are supposed to have (or employ) people who are experts on communications. My bet is that these experts consulted with all the carriers about options and prices and presented a list of options to upper management, including the costs, benefits and problems associated with each and management picked one. They are now trying to deflect criticism for the choice they made.

[formercanuck]

Wilbur, have you ever ran a business bigger than a lemon aide stand. Yes, this is an unfortunate issue, and more than likely is just a bureaucratic blunder by both vzw and more so by the agency who originally negotiated the service agreement,who i would assume are I'm the fire fighting business, not vzw who is in the communications business I'm sure the contract between vzw and whatever inempt agency clearly spelled out the rules for throttling and numerous numerous other issues. From what I've read California is to a large extent responsible for the extensive nature of these fires by the stupidly improper use of irrigation water resources for for last several decades. California's beyond idiotic inept state and local governments imo should have recognised those potential issues, and requested the proper exemptions necessary for emergency services, but no they're out debating the rights of some potentially extinct bug, bird or fish rather than the welfare of it's citizens. And why did you think they chose vzw as their provider in the first place, if Tm were the superior carrier as your unsubstantiated opinion suggests.

Also you may have the best education ever, but your choice of words tend to indicate otherwise, and those using such vulgar, crass language are usually ignored and written off as not being worthy of consideration.

I would tend to agree. I used VZW (a LONG time ago), and its billing/CS were the worst when things needed to be corrected/changed. Big companies and big government can be a recipe for distaster. An incompetent bureacracy with a business sales person most likely put them in a specific plan that the government's department head signed off on, and effectively 'takes an act of congress' to change it.