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REVISED AS OF: NOVEMBER 20, 2011
WOW! INTERNET, CABLE AND PHONE
NETWORK MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
(Pursuant to 47 C.F.R. § 8.1 et seq)
WOW! Internet, Cable and Phone (through its operating affiliates, Sigecom, LLC, WideOpenWest Michigan, LLC, WideOpenWest Illinois, LLC, WideOpenWest Cleveland, LLC and WideOpenWest Ohio, LLC) ("WOW!") has developed the following network management practices with respect to its broadband Internet access services. This document is intended to meet the Transparency requirements of the Preserving the Open Internet regulations promulgated by the Federal Communications Commission ("Commission") (codified in 47 C.F.R. §§ 8.1, et seq.). This document is in addition to and supplements any other existing terms, policies and procedures relating to WOW!'s broadband Internet access services. WOW!'S NETWORK MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, AS WELL AS THE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS AND TERMS OF SERVICE, FOR ITS BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS SERVICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. We will provide updates to this document, the most recent version of which is located at http://wowway.com/networkmanagement, and in other appropriate locations if we make important or significant changes to our network management practices.
I. OVERVIEW
The purpose of this document is to disclose information regarding WOW!'s network management practices, performance, and commercial terms of its broadband Internet access service (the "Service") sufficient for consumers to make informed choices regarding use of such Service and for content, application, service, and device providers to develop, market, and maintain Internet offerings, consistent with the Commission's Preserving the Open Internet regulations. High-speed bandwidth and network resources are limited and managing the network is essential to promote the use and enjoyment of the Internet by all of our customers. WOW! is committed to providing the best online experience possible for all of its customers and uses reasonable network management practices to ensure that the WOW! Service is used in ways that are consistent with the specifications of a shared network, and the standards of our local municipality and the Internet community. WOW! also aims to ensure that the Internet access resources we provide are used in a manner that benefits everyone. The network management practices used by WOW! are consistent with industry standards. For example, we use tools and practices to reduce the negative effects of spam, viruses or other harmful code or content, security attacks, network congestion, and other risks and degradations of the Service. By engaging in reasonable and responsible network management, WOW! can deliver the best possible broadband Internet experience to all of its customers.
WOW! maintains an Acceptable Use Policy located at http://www.wowway.com/internet-cable-phone-company/terms-and-conditions/internet-terms-of-service/ for its residential Service customers, and a Commercial Acceptable Use Policy (referred to as the "AUP" or "AUPs") located at http://www.wowway.biz/images/wowbiz/pdfs/commercial_customer_acceptable_use_v3.pdf for its business Service customers. The AUPs contain a series of use policies, guidelines and restrictions that WOW! expects its customers to adhere to as they use the Service. WOW! also has terms and conditions of service that apply to both its residential and business customers, which are located at: for residential customers: http://www.wowway.com/internet-cable-phone-company/terms-and-conditions/internet-terms-of-service ; for business customers: http://www.wowway.biz/images/wowbiz/pdfs/wow_internet_terms_2011_v6.pdf (the "Terms"). Overall, the AUPs and this Network Management Practices disclosure address WOW!'s (and where applicable its providers') network management techniques and approaches.
WOW!'s use of various tools and techniques to manage its network, deliver its service, and ensure compliance with the AUPs and its terms and conditions of service, can and do change periodically. As the Internet and related technologies continue to evolve and advance, WOW!'s network management practices, techniques and tools will also change so that we can deliver a reliable and safe onto all of our customers. We will provide updates to this document, the most recent version of which is located at http://wowway.com/networkmanagement, and in other appropriate locations if we make important or significant changes to our network management practices.
II. NETWORK PRACTICES
A. Congestion Management:
WOW! monitors its network on a continual basis to determine if an area of congestion could occur. The area of possible congestion will be identified and network improvements will attempt to be made prior to any congestion occurring. These network improvements may include: the addition of network hardware or network segregation to accommodate additional traffic. If a period of congestion occurs, customers may experience things like: longer times to download or upload files, surfing the Web may seem somewhat slower, or playing games online may seem somewhat sluggish. WOW! does not manage congestion based on the online activities, protocols or applications a customer uses; it only focuses on the areas with the heaviest usage and works to alleviate any congestion prior to any customer impact. The purpose is to eliminate periods of congestion as quickly as possible.
The criteria or indicators that we use to determine if WOW! should implement a congestion reducing practice is we utilization has reach a predetermined level, typically above 70%, we begin developing a network design to accommodate the additional traffic as well as calculating for future growth.
Congestion in the WOW! network most often occurs during the evening hours between 5pm and 11pm, although congestion may occur at any time. WOW! Makes every effort to ensure your connection is as stable as possible to ensure you receive the bandwidth you are expecting.
WOW! does not have usage limits, but will remove network access to any users determined as being abusive to the system, which we generally define as any user violating our Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policy.
B. Application-Specific Behavior:
WOW! does not block P2P traffic or applications like BitTorrent, Gnutella, or others as part of its current network congestion management technique.
WOW! does not discriminate against particular types of lawful online content. WOW! provides its customers with full access to all the lawful content, services, and applications that the Internet has to offer. However, we are committed to protecting customers from spam, phishing, and other unwanted or harmful online content and activities. In that connection, we use industry standard tools and generally accepted practices and policies to help ensure that our customers are protected from unwanted or harmful content and activities. WOW!'s use of these tools, techniques and policies help to identify and restrict certain harmful and unwanted online content, such as spam or phishing Web sites. In other cases, these tools, techniques and policies may permit customers to identify certain content that is not clearly harmful or unwanted, such as bulk email or Web sites with questionable security ratings, and enable those customers to inspect the content further if they want to do so.
C. Device Attachment Rules:
WOW! allows for customer owned equipment to be used on the network, so long as such devices do not interfere with the WOW! network or WOW!'s ability to provide the Service. These devices are not supported or managed by WOW!, unless it is in the best interest of WOW! and the operation of the network.
D. Security:
WOW! employs a number of practices to help prevent unwanted communications such as spam as well as protect the security of our customers and network. WOW! limits the number of login, SMTP, DNS, and DHCP transactions per minute (at levels far above "normal" rates) that customers can send to WOW!'s servers in order to protect them against Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. We do not disclose the exact rate limits in order to maintain the effectiveness of these measures, which ensure that these critical services are available for all of our customers. In order to further protect our customers, WOW! blocks a limited number of ports that are commonly used to send spam, launch malicious attacks, or steal a customer's information, for example, SQL Exploits and Microsoft communication protocol ports. In addition, WOW! conducts several security initiatives, and offers security tools for our customers, such as DoS monitoring and Virus Scanning software.
III. PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS
A. Service Description:
WOW! is a cable television provider that offers high speed cable modem Internet service. WOW! provides residential and commercial customers with a variety of high speed Internet plans from which to choose, ranging from our lowest tier (with download speeds up to 2 megabits per second ("Mbps"), and upload speeds up to 1 megabits per second ("kbps")) to our highest tier (with download speeds up to 50 Mbps, and upload speeds to 5 Mbps). WOW! provisions its customers' modems and engineers its network to ensure that its customers can enjoy the speeds to which they subscribe. However, WOW! does not guarantee that a customer will actually achieve those speeds at all times. Without purchasing an expensive, dedicated Internet connection, no Internet Service Provider ("ISP") can guarantee a particular speed at all times to a customer. WOW! advertises its speeds as "up to" a specific level based on the tier of service to which a customer subscribes.
Expected and Actual Speeds
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 an ISP such as WOW!. These conditions include:
1. Performance of a customer's computer, including its age, processing capability, its operating system, the number of applications running simultaneously, and the presence of any adware and viruses.
2. Type of connection between a customer's computer and modem. 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. WOW! does not recommend wireless modem connections for use with its higher speed tiers as many wireless connections do not perform at the speeds delivered by these tiers.
3. The distance packets travel (round trip time of packets) between a customer's computer and its final destination on the Internet, including the number and quality of the networks of various operators in the transmission path. The Internet is a "network of networks." A customer's connection may traverse the networks of multiple providers before reaching its destination, and the limitations of those networks will most likely affect the overall speed of that Internet connection.
4. 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, your connection will be affected if the site or destination does not have sufficient capacity to serve all of the visitors efficiently.
5. Gating of speeds or access by the website or destination. In order to control traffic or performance, many websites limit the speeds at which a visitor can download from their site. Those limitations will carry through to a customer's connection.
6. The performance of the cable modem you have installed. Modem performance may degrade over time, and certain modems are not capable of handling higher speeds.
This is the reason that WOW!, like all other ISPs, advertises speeds as "up to" a particular level, and does not guarantee them.
Provisioned Speeds
Generally, WOW! "over provisions" its customers' modems. This is intended to provide an extra buffer for speed performance. As a result, in many circumstances WOW! customers experience speeds in excess of that provisioned as part of their chosen speed tier.
Latency
Latency is another measurement of Internet performance. Latency is the time delay in transmitting or receiving packets on a network. Latency is primarily a function of the distance between two points of transmission, but also can be affected by the quality of the network or networks used in transmission. Latency is typically measured in milliseconds, and generally has no significant impact on typical everyday Internet usage. As latency varies based on any number of factors, most importantly the distance between a customer's computer and the ultimate Internet destination (as well as the number and variety of networks your packets cross), it is not possible to provide customers with a single figure that will define latency as part of a user experience.
Customer Speed Test
WOW! offers its customers to the ability to test the speeds that they are receiving on WOW!'s network from the customer's computer to a test site on WOW!'s network. Simply go to the speed test site for your service location to test your connection.
Cleveland: http://speed.clv.wideopenwest.com
Columbus: http://speed.col.wideopenwest.com
Evansville: http://speed.evv.wideopenwest.com
Illinois: http://speed.nap.wideopenwest.com
Michigan: http://speed.try.wideopenwest.com
Other Speed Test Information
You can also access external sources that compile speed test information for various ISPs, including WOW!. The download index can be accessed online at http://www.netindex.com/. The data is taken over an approximately 1 month period. The ISP graph data spans several years. Ratings by ISP are based on results collected from speedtest.net. To review this information please follow the steps below:
1. http://www.netindex.com/ ;
2. Scroll down to The 50 States and select your state; and
3. Scroll down to ISPs.
Suitability of the Service for Real-Time Applications
WOW! offers a variety of Service plans, with different speeds. Some of WOW!'s low tier plans would not be suitable for certain real time applications. Generally speaking, real-time applications such as streaming video or video conferencing may require subscription to WOW!'s Service plans with speeds at or above 8Mbps.
B. Impact of Specialized Services:
We provide Quality of Service for our Voice platform, which gives priority access for voice traffic throughout the network. This helps to ensure your calls will remain as clear and error free as possible. If congestion has met the maximum capacity for last mile traffic, there may be a temporary delay in last mile HSD traffic. We use congestion management techniques to prevent or minimize such delays.
IV. COMMERCIAL TERMS
A. Pricing:
Pricing
WOW!'s monthly pricing for the Service as of the date of this disclosure is:
Residential Pricing:
Level of Service Price
2M $40.00
15M $50.00
30M $70.00
50M $90.00
Commercial Pricing:
ILLINOIS, OHIO, MICHIGAN:
Level of Service Price
5M $35.00
8M $55.00
15M $85.00
30M $140.00
50M $185.00
EVANSVILLE:
Level of Service Price
5M $35.00
8M $65.00
10M $100.00
15M $140.00
30M $240.00
50M $300.00
These prices are subject to change. In addition, WOW! offers a variety of service plans in its operating regions, which include pricing for Internet Services that vary depending upon the plan and whether the Internet Services are bundled with WOW's other service offerings. All of WOW!'s current pricing and offers are located at: residential customer pricing and offers: https://sales.wowway.com/OnlineStore/MarketForPricingAndPackaging.aspx; and business customer pricing and offers: http://www.wowway.biz/chicago-small-business-internet-service-pricing.html.For Evansville commercial customers, http://www.wowway.biz/evansville-small-business-internet-service-pricing.html.
Usage-Based Fees, and Fees for Early Termination or Additional Network Services
WOW! generally does not limit the amount of usage or impose usage-based fees. WOW! does not impose fees for early termination for its residential service customers, but WOW! does retain the right under its terms to impose additional charges upon residential customers that use excessive bandwidth, which WOW! considers to be bandwidth that is inconsistent with residential use. WOW! does impose early termination fees upon its commercial services customers, as more particularly described in the Commercial Services General Terms and Conditions, located at http://www.wowway.biz/images/wowbiz/pdfs/wow_business_customer_general_terms_2011_v8_clean.pdf In general (and depending upon a customer's agreement with WOW!), WOW! imposes an early termination fee upon its business customers as follows: if such termination is prior to installation of Service, early termination charges are equal to the reasonable expenses and costs incurred by WOW! through the date of termination including but not limited to any third party cost incurred by WOW!, direct labor and materials. If such termination is after activation of Service, early termination charges are equal to 50% of its average monthly billing for all Services for the last twelve months (or the number of months for which Customer has received Services from WOW!, if less than twelve months) purchased from WOW! multiplied by the number of months remaining in the term of the service agreement, plus any other related reasonable expenses of WOW! including, but not necessarily limited to, waived installation charges, discounts or credits or competitive contract buyout charges.
B. Privacy Policies:
Privacy Policy
WOW!'s Privacy Policy is located at http://www.wowway.com/internet-cable-phone-company/terms-and-conditions/privacy-policy/ for residential customers and at http://www.wowway.biz/images/wowbiz/pdfs/privacy_policy_2011_060811.pdf for commercial customers..
Inspection of Network Traffic
WOW! automatically measures and monitors network performance and the performance of our customer's Internet connection and our network. WOW! may also monitor and record information about a customer's computer, equipment profile or settings and the installation of software it provides. WOW! does not share information collected for the purpose of network or computer performance monitoring or for providing customized technical support outside of WOW! or its authorized vendors, contractors and agents. WOW! reserves the right to modify the password(s) for the router(s) used with the Service in order to safeguard Internet security, the security and privacy of customer information, where required by law, and/or for other good cause to provide, upgrade and maintain the Service, protect the network, other users of the Internet, or its customers.
If a customer types a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) which contains a nonexistent or unassigned domain name, or enters a search term into their browser address bar, WOW! may present the customer with a WOW! web search page containing suggested links based upon the query entered in lieu of the customer receiving an NXDOMAIN, similar error message or browser assigned query. WOW!'s provision of the web search page may impact applications that rely on an NXDOMAIN or similar error message and may override similar browser-based search results pages. Customers who prefer not to receive these pages from WOW! can follow the opt-out instructions that are available by clicking on the "About" or "Opt Out" link on the page.
C. Redress Options:
Edge providers and WOW! customers may submit a complaint or question to WOW! with regard to any aspect of the Service, at any time. WOW! maintains toll-free telephone numbers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: residential: 1-866-496-9669; and commercial: 1-888-969-4249. You can also email us from the "Contact us" section at www.wowway.com or http://www.wowway.biz/contact-wow-custom-business-solutions.html for business customers, or write to us at:
Residential Mail: WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone, Attn: Director of Internet Technology, 1674 Frontenac Road, Naperville, Illinois 60563.
Commercial Mail: WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone, Attn: VP of Business Solutions, 6045 Wedeking Avenue, Evansville, Indiana 47715
When a call is received regarding a service related issue, a customer care representative (CCR) will attempt to determine the nature of the problem. If possible, the CCR will help the customer resolve the problem over the telephone. If the problem cannot be resolved during the call, the CCR may if necessary schedule a service technician to visit the customer's home or business. If the problem cannot be resolved by the CCR, the problem will be referred to a supervisor who will make best efforts to resolve the issue immediately. If a customer has a complaint requiring further escalation, the customer can contact WOW! at our toll-free numbers or by email or postal mail. WOW!'s policy is to reply to an escalated customer complaint within thirty working days of receipt. WOW! will endeavor to include in its reply a statement of action taken, description of future work needed to resolve any issue or an explanation why the complaint is unjustified or outside the jurisdiction of WOW!.
In the event we are unable to resolve in an informal manner a dispute with a customer, the customer or WOW! may elect to arbitrate the dispute in accordance with the applicable arbitration provisions of the Terms, as opposed to litigating the dispute in court. The dispute resolution process is fully described at: for residential customers: http://www.wowway.com/internet-cable-phone-company/terms-and-conditions/internet-terms-of-service/ for business customers: http://www.wowway.biz/images/wowbiz/pdfs/wow_business_customer_general_terms_2011_v8_clean.pdf .
Questions and complaints from edge providers that do not involve a service related issue will be directed to our director of internet technology for response.
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