Comteck of Indiana, Inc - Sweetser Telephone - Providing internet service in the Sweetser and Converse Areas

Sweetser Telephone Transparency Policy

Sweetser Telephone and affiliate, Comteck of Indiana is committed to providing high-quality Internet access services and being a responsible member of the Internet Community. The following Internet Transparency Policy discloses our network management practices, performance characteristics, and terms and conditions of broadband service.

Network Practices

General

Sweetser Telephone manages its network to provide high quality service to its customers. Sweetser Telephone cannot guarantee that it can prevent spam, viruses, security attacks, network congestion and other actions which can affect service, but does use various filters, monitoring efforts and other measures to minimize the effects of such actions.

Congestion Management

Sweetser Telephone’s data network is designed to provide its broadband customers with highly reliable Internet access and data transmission services. Although bandwidth within the core network is not dedicated to individual customers, the capacity is managed to provide sufficient peak bandwidth for the aggregate data traffic

Where feasible, Sweetser Telephone will address congestion issues through improvements to its network or the capacity purchased from other providers. Such processes take time to implement and may not be feasible in all situations; therefore, Sweetser Telephone reserves the right to monitor and identify which customer accounts are using the greatest amount of bandwidth during periods of heavy congestion and to implement measures to address those issues. Sweetser Telephone reserves the right to manage the Internet traffic of high volume customers during periods of significant congestion. This means that the affected customers will still be able to access the Internet and engage in activities that they desire, but during certain periods of time they may experience conditions such as longer times to download or upload files, slower access and slower movements during online game playing. It is expected that any periods of traffic management due to congestion will be brief and infrequent.

Application-Specific Behavior

Sweetser Telephone does not block, shape, limit, or control individual internet usage except in cases of abuse mitigation and port restrictions as described later in this section. Sweetser Telephone adheres to guidelines set forth by Congress and the FCC for network openness and interconnection. All Sweetser Telephone customers can access the lawful internet content of their choice under nondiscriminatory provisions. Sweetser Telephone does not use traffic shaping equipment except in cases of abuse mitigation. No traffic shaping equipment is used to either discriminate against nor preclude any legal use of other provider equipment or services.

Some network ports are blocked to prevent customers from utilizing open mail relays or becoming a source of unsolicited e-mail, to protect the network from known vulnerabilities, and on as-needed basis to deal with imminent virus or security threats.

Device Attachment Rules

Any standard computer or internet access device is permitted to the extent it does not cause a degradation of internet traffic within the network or to others. Sweetser Telephone reserves the right to set additional standards and rules as warranted.

Security

It is the responsibility of the end user to monitor their usage and adopt safe practices that they deem necessary to protect any unauthorized access to their personal files and information. Sweetser Telephone does employ internal security measures to monitor aggregate internet usage to avoid a degradation of its IP network and performance. To protect our customers, Sweetser Telephone may block ports that are known to be used for DDOS/DOS, virus and other malicious activities, or to steal a user’s information. Sweetser Telephone also block e‐mails deemed to be SPAM or that are detected to contain a virus or other malicious code both into and out of our network.

Sweetser Telephone does have a network inspection system. Traffic information is used to examine the types of applications being used in aggregate by broadband customers and to provide Technical Support with additional information to assist customers with network problems. This information is stored with a specialized network inspection device and is not provided to any third parties.

Performance Characteristics

Service Description

Sweetser Telephone Internet service is provided as a “best effort” service, and we have provisioned the service to meet the maximum speeds as advertised. However, internet usage can be affected by many variables across multiple networks, and the usage that customers experience may be lower than the maximum speed it is provisioned for.

For all fiber customers, the expected speed from the customer to the edge of Sweetser Telephone’s network should be the same as the purchased speed and latency should be reliably suitable for real-time applications at any time of the day.

The copper broadband network uses DSL. The data-rate of DSL depends on the length and technical characteristics of the line (e.g., gauge of wire, presence of bridge taps, and other such features that affect the line characteristics) connecting the end-user to Sweetser Telephone’s network serving office. DSL services purchased as part of a bundle may include an “up to” speed even though the actual speed might need to be set lower based on the capabilities of the outside plant. However, customers are made aware of their actual configured rate. For most copper customers, the expected speed from the customer to the edge of Sweetser Telephone’s network should be the same as the purchased speed and latency should be reliably suitable for real-time applications at any time of the day.

Speeds listed are “up to” a specific level based on the 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 Sweetser Telephone. These conditions include but are not limited to:

Performance of a customer’s device, including its age, processing capability, its operating system, the number of applications running simultaneously, and the presence of any malicious software such as but not limited to malware and viruses.
Type of connection to the customer’s device. For example, wireless connections may be slower than direct connections into a router or modem. Wireless connections also may be subject to greater fluctuations, interference and congestion.
The distance packets travel between a customer’s device and its final destination on the Internet, including the number and quality of the networks of various operators in the transmission path.
Congestion or high usage levels at the website or destination. If a large number of visitors are accessing a site or particular destination at the same time, the connection will be affected if the site or destination does not have sufficient capacity to serve all of the visitors efficiently.
The performance of any customer-supplied equipment (including routers, switches, wireless access points, etc.) that have been installed

Commercial Terms

Pricing

Standard pricing information for Sweetser Telephone Internet services can be found at www.comteck.com.

Redress Options

Customers may call Customer Service at 765.384.4311 with any questions or difficulties with any Sweetser Telephone services.