ISP Policy


General Policy Statement:

The following policies apply to mass market broadband Internet services offered by NKTelco. Customers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the following policies which are deemed part of their Service Agreement. By using NKTelco’s Internet service, customer accepts and agrees to be bound by these policies. In doing so, customer further agrees that customer is solely responsible for compliance with these terms by third parties, such as friends and family members, who may use customer’s service, with or without permission, to access the broadband network.

NKTelco’s policy is to provide reliable access to the Internet for all of its customers in a manner that does not unduly discriminate. As used in this document, customer refers to residential and small business users (i.e., mass market) and is differentiated from enterprise users who tend to be larger business with specialized broadband and IT needs. Enterprise level services that are custom tailored to a specific project and individually priced based on the needs and criteria established by the enterprise customer may be governed by other use policies and agreements specific to that enterprise user.

NKTelco does not block access to, nor discriminate against, any lawful website or Internet application and, with respect to broadband Internet access services, supports the ability of users to select and attach the equipment of their choice to the network so long as that equipment: (i) is used for a lawful purpose consistent with NKTelco’s Acceptable Use Policy; and (ii) does not harm the network or degrade network performance for other users.

I. NETWORK SERVICES AND SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

NKTelco provides services via Digital Subscriber Line, Cable Modem, and fixed wireless technologies. A description of services availability including terms and conditions and prices may be found at Internet. While some broadband services may be less suitable than others for specific applications, NKTelco’s services are generally capable of supporting Voice over IP (VoIP), gaming, web surfing, and most streaming video applications.

NKTelco manages its network to minimize or avoid blockage and congestion, which may slow down actual speeds experienced by customers particularly at peak periods in which network utilization is highest. In the event of network congestion, NKTelco does not prioritize performance within mass market services based on either tier of service purchased or volume of data exchanged however some enterprise customers may receive higher prioritization based on the terms of its service.

NKTelco provisions its customers’ modems and engineers its network to ensure that its customers can enjoy the speeds to which they subscribe. However, NKTelco does not guarantee that a customer will actually achieve those speeds at all times. NKTelco advertises its speeds as ‘up to’ a specific level based on the tier of service to which a customer subscribes.

The actual speed that a customer will experience while using the Internet depends upon a variety of conditions, many of which are beyond the control of NKTelco. These conditions include but are not limited to i) performance of a customer’s broadband device, including its age, processing capability, its operating system, the number of applications running simultaneously, and the presence of any adware and viruses; ii) type of connection between a customer’s computer and modem. For example, wireless

As of November 11, 2011, NKTelco quarterly network monitoring reports show utilization below 100% at peak periods indicating that its network consistently provides speeds as expected by customers with little or no degradation in service. These results were effective as of the dates / times indicated and may be updated from time to time at NKTelco’s discretion.

connections may be slower than direct connections into a router or modem. iii) the distance packets travel (round trip time of packets) between a customer’s computer and its final destination on the Internet; iv) Congestion or high usage levels at the website or destination; and v) gating of speeds or access by the website or destination deployed by the site owners to manage traffic or performance.

There are publically available speed tests that measure Internet performance. All speed tests have biases and flaws and each of these tests measures limited aspects of an ISP’s speed and therefore must be seen as a guide rather than definitive measurements of performance.

http://www.speedtest.net

II. NETWORK MANAGEMENT

NKTelco utilizes a redundant network architecture that is designed to meet users demand at peak periods. NKTelco deploys generally accepted technical measures to provide acceptable service levels to all customers, such as application-neutral bandwidth allocation, as well as measures to address service attacks, illegal content and other harmful activities as necessary to protect network integrity and reliability. In doing so, we follow standard best efforts for Internet delivery with respect to allocation of capacity without differentiation among applications, providers, or sources. As described further in our Acceptable Use Policy, in NKTelco reserves the right to prioritize traffic applications during heavy congestion periods based on generally accepted technical measures that do not unduly discriminate based on site nature or content.

NKTelco utilizes standard industry practices for safeguarding children, intellectual property rights and customers’ privacy and security. NKTelco complies with applicable laws and regulations, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires the consent of a parent or guardian for the collection of personally identifiable information from children under 13 as well as the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitations Act, a portion of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that allows Internet service providers to remove or disconnect customer access to copyright infringing material.

Pursuant to Title 17, United States Code, Section 512(c)(2), notifications of claimed copyright infringement should be sent to Service Provider’s Designated Agent:

By email:
abuse@nktelco.com

By mail:
NKTelco Internet
Attn: Mark Spring
301 W. South Street
New Knoxville, OH 45871

NKTelco does not collect information about customer use of NKTelco products and services for the purpose of allowing or disallowing service availabilities. Any information of internet usage collected by NKTelco is collected for the purpose of maintaining the integrity and service functionality of the network. Such information may also be used determine compliance with applicable AUP and Service Agreements. This information is solely for the internal use of NKTelco and will not be released to any third party except as required by law.

NKTelco may measure and monitor network performance and the performance of customers Internet connection to improve and maintain service levels. If contacted for service support, NKTelco may access information about computers, wireless devices or other device settings deployed by customer to provide customized technical support or to install specific applications or services as may be required to provide such support to customer.

Please note that NKTelco is not responsible for information, content, applications or services provided by others.

Subject to the terms of NKTelco’s Acceptable Use Policy and service agreements, customers may generally attach the devices of their choice and run the applications of their choice, subject to the limitations of their data plan. While many devices such as routers, Bluetooth and WiFi cards, laptops, notebooks and tablets are readily available from third party sources, such as consumer electronics retailers, other devices, such as DSL modems, proprietary network gateways, and WiMax base stations must be provided by or leased from NKTelco. NKTelco is not responsible for the compatibility, suitability or functionality of any equipment that is provided by the customer or any third party, and the customer remains fully responsible for ensuring that any such equipment does not cause any harm to the network or degrade the service of other users.

III. COMMERCIAL TERMS

Available services, terms and conditions, restrictions, limitations and service prices for NKTelco broadband network access services may be found via Internet

IV. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Important additional terms regarding the use of service can be found in our Acceptable Use Policy. The AUP outlines the following: (i) prohibited uses and activities; (ii) customer conduct and features of the service; (iii) actions deemed to be a violation of the AUP and penalties for such violations; and (iv) intellectual property, copyright and Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) requirements, including designated agent information required for the ISP to qualify for the liability protections afforded ISPs by the DMCA.

V. QUESTIONS? PROBLEMS? CONCERNS?

Any questions, problems, or concerns about NKTelco service by customers, potential customers, or application or site providers can be addressed to NKTelco:

By email:
abuse@nktelco.com

By mail:
NKTelco Internet
Attn: Mark Spring
301 W. South Street
PO Box 219
New Knoxville, OH 45871

By phone:
Internet Department 419-753-5000

When contacting NKTelco please provide as much information as possible including dates, times, IP addresses, user names, and specific terms associated with the reported issue. NKTelco may require an email or phone number to respond should we not have an immediate response to the reported issue not be feasible.