Open Internet
Last modified: 09/30/2020
The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) requires that we provide the following information regarding our mass market retail broadband Internet access services, including information regarding any network management practices that we employ, the performance characteristics of our services, and the commercial terms of our service offerings. This disclosure is intended to provide information sufficient for consumers to make informed choices regarding the use of such services and for content, application, service, and device providers to develop, market and maintain internet offerings, and should be read in conjunction with Sparklight Business’s “Acceptable Use Policy” (“AUP”), available at https://business.sparklight.com/legal/acceptable-use.
This statement relates solely to that portion of our network devoted to providing mass market retail broadband Internet access service to our business customers. Other portions of our network may be used to provide cable television service, phone service, or other information or specialized services, each of which is subject to its own terms and conditions of service. For further information regarding the services offered by Sparklight Business in your area, please see business.sparklight.com.
Sparklight Business may change this Internet Disclosure Statement from time to time and will post on our website any material changes to our policies.
Network management:
- Network management
- Usage limits
- Application-specific behavior
- Device attachment rules
- Security
- General spam filtering
Performance characteristics:
Commercial terms:
Network management
The Sparklight network is designed for typical usage by a typical business user. Computer activity resulting in excessive or sustained bandwidth consumption may burden the network and such usage may be restricted. Bandwidth on our network is a limited, shared resource among subscribers, unless you are subject to a Service plan that provides dedicated Services. Because we seek to provide the Services at a reasonable cost to the largest number of users, the use of our network is subject to fair and reasonable usage guidelines given the purchased Service plan. Users must ensure their activity does not improperly restrict, inhibit, or degrade any other user’s use of the Services nor represent (in the sole but reasonable judgment of Sparklight) an unusually large burden on the network itself. In addition, users must ensure that their activity does not improperly restrict, inhibit, disrupt, degrade or impede Sparklight’s ability to deliver the Services and monitor the Services, backbone, network nodes, and/or other network services. Sparklight is committed to ensuring each customer use their fair share in order to keep the Services as affordable as possible for all.
Usage limits
In addition to reserving the right to manage network usage to ensure that the activity of a small number of users at a particular point in time does not degrade, inhibit or interfere with the use of our network by others, Sparklight also maintains an “excessive use” policy that addresses fair and reasonable usage.
Please see our AUP at business.sparklight.net/legal/acceptable-use for more information regarding Sparklight Business’s excessive use policy.
Application specific behavior
Sparklight does not discriminate against or prevent you or other users of its service from sending and receiving the lawful content of their choice; running lawful applications and using lawful services of their choice; or connecting their choice of legal devices, provided that such applications and services do not harm the network or the provision of broadband Internet access service, cause malicious traffic patterns facilitate theft of service or the distribution of unlawful content, or otherwise harm or unreasonably impair other users of the service. Similarly, Sparklight does not impair or degrade particular content, applications, services or non-harmful devices so as to render them effectively unusable, subject to the policies and procedures outlined herein.
As described above, Sparklight reserves the right to employ network management practices, e.g., to prevent the distribution of viruses or other malicious code, as well as to block, in accordance with applicable law, transfer of unlawful content such as child pornography or the unlawful transfer of content. In addition, Sparklight may enter into arrangements to provide Internet service to third party establishments (such as coffee shops, bookstores, hotels or libraries) who then may offer such service to their customers, guests or others. Nothing herein is intended to address network management practices, performance characteristics or commercial terms that may be adopted by such third party premise operators in connection with the provision of Internet service to others.
Device attachment rules
Sparklight requires customers to use a modem model to connect to its network that the Company’s research has indicated is compatible with its equipment and services. Use of a non-approved modem may be subject to service interruption due to network updates or incompatibility. A DOCSIS 3.0 or higher modem is required to receive nearly all of Sparklight’s speed offerings (8 channel or higher version works best). Although DOCSIS 2.0 modems will operate on our network at this time, customers may experience substantially slower speeds than advertised. Information regarding approved modem models can be found by contacting a business adviser at 855.873.9596. The pace of technological change is rapid and due to customer demand and other advancements, modem models previously compatible may become obsolete. Sparklight may require customers to replace a non-approved or previously approved modem model with an approved one and reserves the right to discontinue provision of service to any non-approved modem. Customer may choose to lease a modem from Sparklight Business or purchase an approved model from a retailer.
Security
Company also employs certain practices to protect the security of our customers and our network from unwanted and harmful activities. These include practices designed to protect our servers against Denial of Service attacks and to prevent spam and identity theft.
General spam filtering
Sparklight will block inbound email from any source that exceeds its thresholds for email that is sent using identified spam methods. This includes but is not limited to numbers of recipients, number of rejected users and certain header information. These thresholds are dynamic and more data cannot be given without compromising the integrity of our filtering methods. When security measures are employed, they may affect performance characteristics of service or the ability to access certain websites, but such measures are employed in a manner designed to have non-discriminatory impact on all similarly-situated customers. Sparklight engages in network security measures such as those outlined above to enhance the online experience of its customers. However, no such measures are infallible and we cannot guarantee against security problems.
Service description
Sparklight provides what is known as a “fixed broadband” Internet access service that is designed to provide the capability to transmit data to and receive data from all or substantially all Internet end points. Sparklight offers multiple packages (or “tiers”) of Internet access service for business use with varying targeted speeds, features and bandwidth that may affect the suitability of such service for real-time applications. The features, pricing and other commercial terms of our service offerings are modified from time to time, and not all packages are available in all areas. Each package is priced to reflect the particular speed limitations of that package. Full descriptions of currently available packages and pricing can be found by contacting a business adviser at 855.873.9596.
The FCC requires that we disclose information regarding the expected and actual speed and latency of our Internet access service offerings. Our advertised speeds represent our targeted speed for a particular service package. Actual speeds may be faster or slower than advertised speeds. The speed a subscriber experiences may vary based on a number of factors including, but not limited to (i) variances in network usage; (ii) the capabilities and capacities of the customer’s computer and/or local area network (LAN) devices such as wireless routers; (iii) latency (i.e., the time delay in transmitting or receiving packets as impacted in significant part by the distance between points of transmission); (iv) the performance of the content and application providers the consumer is accessing, such as a search engine or video streaming site; and (v) performance characteristics of transmissions over portions of the Internet that are not subject to Sparklight’s control. Our Internet access service is provided on a best efforts basis and speeds or other performance characteristics cannot be guaranteed (this does not apply to dedicated Services).
Impact of specialized services
The FCC’s “open Internet” rules distinguish between our mass market retail broadband Internet access services and “specialized services” that share capacity with our broadband Internet access service over our last-mile facilities. Examples of such “specialized services” may include Sparklight’s voice over IP phone (“VoIP”) service which shares bandwidth with our Internet access service and because of its nature sometimes receives network priority. Because of this, it is possible that increased use of our phone service may temporarily impact our broadband Internet access service at particular times. Company routinely monitors how all its services use bandwidth to minimize any impact on our broadband Internet access service.
Pricing
As noted above, Company offers multiple tiers of broadband Internet access service. The current pricing and other terms and conditions of these tiers (including information regarding fees for early termination or additional network services) can be obtained by calling a business adviser at 855.873.9596. The pricing and other commercial terms of our broadband Internet access services are subject to change and the information provided in this disclosure statement is not intended to supersede or modify any of the terms and conditions of service as applicable to a particular customer.
Privacy policies
Your privacy is very important to us. Personal information you provide to Sparklight is governed by the Sparklight’s Privacy Policy, which is posted on Sparklight Business’s Website at business.sparklight.net/legal/privacy and is subject to change from time to time. Personal information provided by you to Sparklight Business is used primarily to provide a customized experience as you use our services, and is generally not shared with third parties. Sparklight reserves the right, as required or permitted by law, to provide account and user information, including email, to third parties and to cooperate with law enforcement authorities in the investigation of any criminal or civil matter. Such cooperation may include, but is not limited to, monitoring of Sparklight’s network consistent with applicable law.
Redress options
For immediate assistance with issues or complaints involving your broadband Internet access service, please contact our Business Technical Support at 877.570.0500. We have agents available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers can also email us [email protected]
Written complaints can also be sent via U.S. mail to: Emerson Yearwood, Esq. Cable ONE, Inc. 210 East Earll Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85012. The FCC has established procedures for addressing informal and formal complaints relating to its “Open Internet” rules. For information concerning these formal and informal complaint procedures, please refer to the FCC’s website at http://www.fcc.gov/guides/getting-broadband.
