It seems to me like the government could put Verizon on the "unlimited" wildfire protection plan. Which is to say that their office buildings with human employees in them get protected along with their regular taxes, but each backhaul fiber that doesn't get cut through while creating firebreaks, and each mobile comms tower that doesn't get all of its antennas burnt off, costs them extra.

Or they can have unlimited capital assets deployed in the field protected, but after the first few million dollars worth are saved, the fire response gets throttled back so that the firefighters move more slowly than the fire.

The kicker is that Verizon would just smile and put a "California wildfire protection fee cost recovery" line item on everybody's bill. Ernestine is the worst. Verizon won't play nice with anyone until Ma Bell gets broken up yet again.