Package: firmware-misc-nonfree
Version: 20240709-1

Are you sure that won't break networking for some people? Best to have a
transitional package that pulls in the rest, and leave it up to the user
to remove the ones they don't want.

Else the upon next boot, they can no longer connect. And thus cannot
download the missing packages.

And must get help from a third party.

firmware-misc-nonfree recommends those packages, so that has been taken care
of. Any particular reason to file a bug about a fictitious situation?

That's exactly what happened to me.
Not all users automatically install recommends.

consequences that go with it.

What you asked for is exactly how it was implemented:
misc-nonfree Recommends all the packages where firmware files which were in
misc-nonfree before, but are now in one of the new packages.
Which allows them to remove the Recommended packages they don't need.

Next to the Recommends solution, you should have also received/seen a NEWS
item, which explains what to do in the new situation.
Did you not receive/see that? Or was the text unclear?

Yes. The news item needs to warn:

** Warning: if you take no action, upon the next boot you might
1. Not be able to network.
2. Not be able to see your screen.
3. Not be able to boot.
and thus unable to install the new packages to fix it too.
Therefore be sure to install the new packages ... now, unless you are
sure you know what you are doing.

Control: reopen -1
Control: retitle -1 Please extend NEWS to clarify what users can and should do
- Make sure users have installed the Recommended packages they need
- Inform them that they can remove the automatically installed Recommended
  packages they don't need (which may help with the initramfs-tools bug in
  0.142 and the IMO too small default /boot partition)