Network Management Policies

Vermont Telephone Company, Inc.  (“VTel” or “Company”) provides this Network Transparency Statement in accordance with the FCC’s Restore Internet Freedom Rules to ensure that you have sufficient information to make informed choices about the purchase of broadband services.  Information about VTel’s other policies and practices concerning broadband are available at www.vermontel.com (“VTel’s Website”).  Policies and practices are subject to change without notice and changes will be updated on VTel’s Website.

VTel engages in network management practices that are tailored and appropriate for achieving optimization on the network considering the particular network architecture and technology of its broadband Internet access service.  VTel’s goal is to ensure that all of its customers experience a safe and secure broadband Internet environment that is fast, reliable and affordable.  VTel wants its customers to indulge in all that the Internet has to offer, whether it is social networking, streaming videos and music, to communicating through email and videoconferencing.

VTel’s network management includes congestion- and security-protocol-management and customers generally will not be impacted by the protocols and practices that VTel uses to manage its network.

VTel offers interconnection, where technically feasible without exceeding current or reasonably anticipated capacity limitations, at reasonable rates and terms to be negotiated with requesting parties. This includes both the ability to connect to the public Internet and physical interconnection for the exchange of traffic.

A. VTel’s Network Transparency Disclosures

VTel uses various tools and industry standard techniques to manage its network and deliver fast, secure and reliable Internet service.  VTel believes in full transparency and provides the following disclosures about its network management practices: 

1. Blocking: VTel does not block or discriminate against lawful content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices, subject to reasonable network management.

2. Throttling: VTel does not throttle, impair or degrade lawful Internet traffic on the basis of Internet content, application, or service, or use of a non-harmful device subject to reasonable network management.

3. Affiliated Prioritization: VTel does not prioritize Internet traffic to the benefit of an affiliate.

4. Paid Prioritization: VTel does not engage in paid prioritization. We don’t prioritize Internet for consideration to benefit particular content, applications, services or devices.

5. Congestion Management: VTel monitors the connections on its network in the aggregate on a continuous basis to determine the rate of utilization. If congestion emerges on the network, VTel will take the appropriate measures to relieve congestion.

On VTel’s network, all customers have access to all legal services, applications and content online and, in the event of congestion, most Internet activities will be unaffected.  Some customers, however, may experience longer download or upload times, or slower surf speeds on the web if instances of congestion do occur on VTel’s network.

Customers using conduct that abuses or threatens the VTel network or which violates the company’s Acceptable Use Policy, Internet service Terms and Conditions, or the Internet Service Agreement will be asked to stop any such use immediately.  A failure to respond or to cease any such conduct could result in service suspension or termination.

VTel’s network and congestion management practices are based on current network conditions, and are not implemented on the basis of customers’ online activities, protocols or applications. VTel’s network management practices do not relate to any particular customer’s aggregate monthly data usage.

VTel monitors its network on a continuous basis to determine utilization on its network.  VTel also checks for abnormal traffic flows, network security breaches, malware, loss, and damage to the network. If a breach is detected or high volume users are brought to light by complaint, VTel provides notification to the customer via email or phone.  If a violation of VTel’s policies has occurred and such violation is not remedied, VTel may seek to suspend or terminate that customer’s service.

7. Application-Specific Behavior: Except as may be provided elsewhere herein, VTel does not engage in any application-specific behaviors on its network. Customers may use any lawful applications with VTel.  VTel does not unreasonably interfere with or unreasonably disadvantage either:
   i. A customer’s ability to select, access, and use broadband Internet access service or the lawful Internet content, applications, services, or devices of their choice; or
   ii. An edge providers’ ability to make lawful content, applications, services, or devices available to a customer.

8. Device Attachment Rules: For best results, fiber-optic modems, DSL modems, wireless modems, or other network gateways used on the VTel broadband network should be provided by VTel. Customers may attach devices of their choosing to their modems, including wired or wireless routers, laptops, desktop computers, video game systems, televisions, or other network-enabled electronics equipment. However, customers are responsible for ensuring that their equipment does not harm VTel’s network or impair the service of other customers. VTel is not responsible for the functionality or compatibility of any equipment provided by its customers. Customers are responsible for securing their own equipment to prevent unauthorized access to VTel’s broadband network by third parties and will be held responsible for the actions of such third parties who gain unauthorized access through unsecured customer equipment.
9. Network Security: VTel knows the importance of securing its network and customers from network threats and annoyances. The company promotes the security of its network and patrons by protections from such threats as spam, viruses, firewall issues, and phishing schemes.  VTel also deploys spam filters in order to divert spam from an online customer’s email inbox into a quarantine file while allowing the customer to control which emails are identified as spam.  Customers may access the spam files through the email.  Spam files are automatically deleted if not accessed within 7 days.

As its normal practice, VTel does not block any protocols, content or traffic for purposes of network management, but VTel may block or limit such traffic as spam, viruses, malware, or denial of service attacks to protect network integrity and the security of our customers.

B. Network Performance

1. Service Descriptions

VTel deploys Internet access to its subscribers through hardwired fiber broadband access and digital subscriber lines.

2. Network Performance

VTel makes every effort to support advertised speeds and may dispatch repair technicians to customer sites to perform speed tests if and as needed to troubleshoot and resolve speed and application performance caused by VTel’s network.  VTel measures availability, latency, and aggregate utilization on the network and strives to meet internal service level targets.

However, the bandwidth speed at which a particular distant website or other Internet resources may be downloaded, or the speed at which your customer information may be uploaded to a distant website or Internet location is affected by factors beyond VTel’s control, including the speed of the connection from a distant web server to the Internet, congestion on intermediate networks, and/or limitations on your own computer equipment, including a wireless router.  In addition, your service performance may be affected by the inside wiring at your premise.  Accordingly, you, the customer, must consider the capabilities of your own equipment when choosing a VTel broadband service. Your computers and/or wireless or other networks in your homes or offices may need an upgrade in order to take full advantage of the chosen VTel broadband plan.

VTel uses industry-standard tools to estimate expected access speeds at the time of network installation to demonstrate that the service is capable of supporting the advertised speed.

Customers may also test their actual speeds using the speed test located at https://www.speedtest.net/ and may request assistance by calling our business office at (888) 242-7584 or by email at support@vermontel.com.

Based on the network information VTel receives from its monitoring efforts, VTel’s network is delivering data transmission rates advertised for the different high-speed Internet services. To be sure, VTel has implemented a program of testing the performance of its network by using a test protocol similar to the one sanctioned by the FCC.  We installed specific network performance monitoring equipment at aggregation points across our network and conducted a series of tests using this equipment.  VTel reports the results of this testing below. This result applies to both upload and download data rates, and applies for measurements made both at peak times and over a 24-hour period:

DOWNLOAD & UPLOAD SPEEDS, LATENCY

DOWNLOAD SPEEDS

UPLOAD SPEEDS

LATENCY

3. Impact of Non-BIAS Data Services

The FCC has defined Non-Broadband Internet Access Services (Non-BIAS) to include services offered by broadband providers that share capacity with Broadband Internet Access Services (BIAS) (previously known as “Specialized Services”) also offered by the provider over the last-mile facilities.  Real time services, such as Non-BIAS services, including Internet Protocol (IP) video services, command optimal bandwidth.  As Non-BIAS traffic is combined with general Internet traffic on VTel’s network, broadband customers could experience service delays, although very unlikely, if there is an occurrence of congestion on VTel’s network.  In any such event, the Non-BIAS traffic is given priority over general Internet traffic. VTel offers IP video service to end-users. This non-BIAS data service does not adversely affect the last-mile capacity available for the Company’s broadband Internet access services, or the performance of such services. Customers should note that significantly heavier use of non-BIAS services (particularly IP video services) may impact the available capacity for and/or the performance of its broadband Internet access services. The Company will monitor this situation, and appreciates feedback from its customers.

C. Commercial Terms

Pricing and additional service information may be found here.

For questions, complaints or requests for additional information, please contact VTel at:

Business Office at 802.885.9000

Email at info@vermontel.com