Comsouth Internet Acceptable Use Policy

ComSouth may modify this Acceptable Use Policy at any time without notifying its users. For this reason, ComSouth users should consult the ComSouth website (www.comsouth.net) regularly to ensure that their actions are in compliance with the most recent version of the Acceptable Use Policy. In the event of any conflict between this Acceptable Use Policy and the ComSouth Terms and Conditions of Use, this Acceptable Use Policy will govern. You agree that, if any portion of this Policy is held invalid or unenforceable, that portion will be construed consistent with applicable law as nearly as possible, and the remaining portions will remain in full force and effect. ComSouth provides a variety of Internet Services (the Services) to residences and businesses (the Customer).

1.0 Introduction
1.1 This Acceptable Use Policy is designed to foster an online environment of mutual respect in which everyone is able to enjoy the benefits of ComSouth’s Services. We believe that the restrictions set out in this Acceptable Use Policy represent a fair balance between the freedom of the individual and the need for some basic rules to ensure that ComSouth’s Internet access is not used in an abusive or illegal way.
1.2 ComSouth users are responsible for ensuring that their accounts are used in accordance with this Acceptable Use Policy. If ComSouth has reason to suspect that a user, or anyone using a user’s account, is violating this Policy, then the account in question may be suspended pending an investigation. If, after an investigation, ComSouth determines that an account has been used in violation of this Policy, ComSouth may, in its discretion, terminate the user account. If you do not agree to abide by this Acceptable Use Policy please notify ComSouth Customer Service immediately atquestions@comsouth.net.
1.3 ComSouth does not actively monitor its user’s use of its services. We rely on our users to govern themselves and to protect the integrity of the network by reporting any violations of this Acceptable Use Policy to questions@comsouth.net.
1.4 ComSouth has the right, but not the obligation, to investigate any violation or alleged violation of this Acceptable Use Policy, including the right to examine any information or material on ComSouth’s servers.
1.5 ComSouth has the right, but not the obligation, to remove any content that it deems, in its sole discretion, to be in violation of any part of this Acceptable Use Policy.
1.6 ComSouth has the right, but not the obligation, to take any steps it deems necessary to prevent violations of this Acceptable Use Policy from occurring.
1.7 The failure of ComSouth to enforce this Policy, for whatever reason, shall not be construed as a waiver of any right to do so at any time.
2.0 Illegal Activities ComSouth users must not use ComSouth’s Services to encourage, facilitate or engage in any illegal activities, including, without limitation:
defamation: posting or transmitting any material which is defamatory under any applicable law;
fraud: posting or transmitting any information that you know or ought to know is false, and that you intend others to rely on;
unlawful material: posting or disseminating unlawful material
false advertising: posting or transmitting any advertising or promotional materials that contain false, deceptive or misleading statements, claims or representations;
copyright violation: posting or transmitting any information, software, photograph, video, graphic, music, sound and other material in violation of another person’s copyright; and
trade-mark violation: posting, transmitting, displaying or using any words or symbols that violate any other person’s rights in its trade-mark or trade-name.

3.0 Electronic Mail
3.1 ComSouth users must not use ComSouth e-mail to:
send unsolicited bulk e-mail (so-called “Spam”);
send, or cause to be sent, large volumes of unsolicited e-mail to a single or multiple people or entities (so-called “E-Mail Bombing”);
repeatedly send e-mail to any person or entity who does not wish to receive it. If a recipient asks to stop receiving e-mail from a ComSouth user, then that ComSouth user must not send that person further e-mail; and
subscribe to any e-mail list or service on behalf of a third party without that third party’s consent.

3.2 ComSouth users must not engage in any of the activities described in paragraph 3.1 from another provider’s e-mail service and use a ComSouth account as an e-mail return address or “drop” for responses.
3.3 ComSouth users must not forge, alter or remove any e-mail header. Any e-mail address at the ComSouth.net domain is property of ComSouth and may be terminated or re-assigned without notice.
4.0 Security, Privacy and “Hacking” The Customer is responsible for any misuse of the Services that originate from their account, even activities committed by any friend, family, co-worker, employee, guest or anyone with access to the account. Customers must ensure that others not gain unauthorized access to the Services.
4.1 ComSouth users must not:
disrupt or interfere with the normal operation of ComSouth systems, networks, or activities in any way that adversely affects the ability of other people, or systems to use ComSouth services or the Internet, including, but not limited to:
Denial of service attacks;
Flooding of networks;
Attempts to overload a service;
Attempts to cause system crashes
use any unauthorized program to connect the user to any Internet Relay Chat (“IRC”) server, including, but not limited to, IRC bots or clone bots;
gain access or attempt to gain access to the private systems or data of ComSouth , without the prior consent of ComSouth.

4.2 ComSouth users must not use their ComSouth accounts to:
circumvent or attempt to circumvent security or authentication systems on any host, network hardware, or user accounts, including, but not limited to, logging into any server, account or network without authorization and electronically probing the security of any system or network; or
disrupt or interfere with the normal operation of any system or network operated by any third party, or attempt to do so.
gain access or attempt to gain access to the private systems or data of ComSouth , or any third party without the prior consent of ComSouth or the third party.

5.0 Usenet Newsgroups
5.1 ComSouth users must not:
post a single article or substantially similar articles to an excessive number of newsgroups, or cross-post to an excessive number of newsgroups;
post articles on a newsgroup which are off-topic according to the newsgroup charter;
post binary or encoded binary files to newsgroups not specifically designated for that purpose;
engage in any of (a), (b), or (c) from a provider other than ComSouth and use an account on ComSouth as an e-mail return address or “drop” for responses, or
engage in any of (a), (b), or (c) from a provider other than ComSouth for the purpose of drawing attention to a service hosted by or on ComSouth ’s network.

ComSouth reserves the right to discontinue access to any Usenet newsgroup at any time and for any reason.
6.0 Censorship and Adult Materials. ComSouth believes in freedom of expression and the right of individuals to decide for themselves what they want to see and listen to. We do not believe it is the place of an ISP to censor or regulate the Internet. However, users must not use ComSouth to transmit or post any information or image that is criminally obscene or otherwise prohibited under any applicable law.
ComSouth assumes NO responsibility for Internet content available through the Services. Customers are responsible for restricting access to sexually explicit material on the Internet, by purchasing the appropriate filtering software, or by monitoring Internet use. Content questions or complaints should be addressed to the content provider.
7.0 Miscellaneous
7.1 False Pretences. Users must not use ComSouth to impersonate any person or use a fictitious user name with any of ComSouth’s services, including in any e-mail, Usenet posting, or Internet Relay Chat (“IRC”) site. This restriction does not preclude the use of nicknames in IRC, the use of anonymous remailer services, or postings to any site that permits pseudonyms.
7.2 Unsolicited Advertising. Users must not use ComSouth to post or transmit any unsolicited advertising, promotional materials or other forms of solicitation to any person except in those areas and on those websites that are designated for such a purpose.
7.3 Harassment, Threats and Abuse. Users must not use ComSouth to harass, threaten, or abuse any person or group of people by any means.
7.4 Crude or Offensive Postings. Users must not use ComSouth to post offensive or crude messages or images on publicly accessible pages or sites, except where such messages or images are appropriate having regard to the nature of the site. ComSouth has the right, but not the obligation, to remove messages or images that ComSouth, in its sole discretion, determines are offensive.
7.5 Multiple access. Users must not maintain more than one simultaneous connection to ComSouth or any ComSouth service, IRC Chat group, or newsgroup.
7.6 Disruptive Conduct. Users must not use ComSouth to disrupt the normal flow of online dialogue, or otherwise act in a manner that negatively affects other users, individuals or entities.
8.0 Bandwidth/Network Traffic and Other Limitations
8.1 You must comply with the current bandwidth/network traffic, data storage and other limitations on the Services. Users must ensure that their activity does not improperly restrict, inhibit or degrade any other customer’s use of the Services, nor represent (in the sole judgment of ComSouth) an unusually large burden on the network itself.
8.2 ComSouth does not apply network controls to slow down and degrade the experience of our high usage customers. If you exceed your data allotment, ComSouth will call you to discuss your options before you are billed for any data allotment overages. Many times these overages are caused by viruses, unsecured wireless routers or open-upload file sharing, that degrade the user experience. If ComSouth determines that the excess usage is being caused by any of these issues, we will notify the customer and provide you with an opportunity to fix these problems. If the customer needs assistance with these problems, ComSouth’s Computer Services (The Glitch Guys) are available for hire.
8.3 Users must ensure that their activity does not improperly restrict, disrupt, inhibit, degrade or impede ComSouth’s ability to deliver the Services and monitor the Services, backbone, network nodes, and/or other network services. Customers may not resell, share, or otherwise distribute the Services or any portion thereof to any third party without the written consent of ComSouth. For example, you cannot provide Internet access to others through a wireless or dial-up connection, host shell accounts over the Internet, provide email or news service, or send a news feed unless express permission is granted by the customer agreement. You may not provide network services to others via ComSouth’s Services.
8.4 If ComSouth determines that the customer is using more data than the allotment of their data tier provides, ComSouth will contact the customer and offer a choice of moving up to a tier of service that will accommodate your usage, or you can choose to be billed $10 for every 50 Gigabytes of usage over your allotment. For customers who may need even larger quantities of data than this schedule allows, ComSouth will be glad to customize a plan.
8.5 Data Allotment Examples: under current standards

Mbps Down / Up	Data Allotment
1 /.256 Mbps	12.5 Gigabytes
2 /.5 Mbps	25 Gigabytes
4 / 1 Mbps	50 Gigabytes
10 /1 Mbps	125 Gigabytes
12 / 1.5 Mbps	150 Gigabytes
16 / 1.5 Mbps	225 Gigabytes
20 / 2 Mbps	250 Gigabytes
50 / 3 Mbps	500 Gigabytes

9.0 Updates
9.1 This Acceptable Use Policy is subject to change without notice. The current version of the Acceptable Use Policy is always available at www.ComSouth.net/policy.
10.0 Questions and Complaints
10.1 Please direct any questions you may have regarding this Acceptable Use policy and complaints regarding violations of this Policy by other ComSouth users to questions@comsouth.net.

COMSOUTH TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Broadband Internet Service
Privacy Policy

ComSouth Telecommunications, Inc. (“ComSouth” or “Company”) is committed to protecting its Broadband Internet service customers’ privacy. Users should review this privacy policy to better understand ComSouth’s views and practices, and how they pertain to them as customers of ComSouth’s web service.
What types of information does ComSouth collect?
ComSouth may collect two types of information: personal information and non-personal information. “Personal information” refers to information that is particular to you, such as, your name, address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address. “Non-personal information” refers to information that does not by itself identify a specific individual. This information may include ComSouth’s website Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) that you just came from, what browser you are using and your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address.

How do we collect information from you?

In general, ComSouth does not collect personal information on this site without your knowledge and active participation. You may visit our site without divulging any personal information; however, there are areas of this site that might require personal information in order to contact ComSouth directly, specifically, when registering e-mails, obtaining remote access, and contacting online technical support.
Information is collected on this site in the following ways:

Browsing our site

ComSouth may collect IP addresses for the purposes of system administration, to gather broad demographic information, and to monitor the level of activity on our site. ComSouth may collect information from visitors to our site regarding the referring URL, your IP address, which browser you used to come to our site, and the pages of our site that you viewed during your visit and any search terms entered on our site.

“Cookies” are small pieces of information that are stored by your browser on your computer hard drive. Our cookies do not contain any personally identifying information. Your web browser may allow you to be notified when you are receiving a cookie, giving you the choice to accept it or not. While you can still navigate through our site if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to register for e-mails or obtain remote access from ComSouth.

E-mail

As noted above, on ComSouth’s website, you are given the opportunity to send e-mail to us. ComSouth retains the information in any e-mail that you send to us, such as your name, e-mail address, address, telephone number, etc. ComSouth may periodically send you e-mails or other company information. ComSouth will not send you e-mails if you have previously requested us not to do so and/or have not registered to receive them.
ComSouth reserves the right to access broadband traffic from individual accounts for the purposes of general maintenance and management of the network, as well as upon request by law enforcement officials.

How is your personal information used?

ComSouth uses your information in connection with delivering its products and services to you. More importantly,ComSouth wants to deliver a compelling online experience that will keep customers coming back to visit the service again and again. ComSouth uses the information supplied to it as a means to personalize portions of the service. Some of these personalized services are made available directly by ComSouth, while others may be offered by its content partners. In addition, ComSouth analyzes and evaluates customer preferences, comments, and criticisms of its offerings in order to make improvements to the present and future versions of the service.
ComSouth uses the personal information it collects to provide you with information or samples that you have requested. In addition, we use the non-personal information we collect to provide you with a better site experience in the future. ComSouth does not rent, sell or trade your private information to any non-affiliated third party.

Who is collecting your information?

While you are on ComSouth’s website, the Company may collect non-personal and e-mail information. In addition, we will provide links in ComSouth’s website to third party websites. ComSouth is not responsible for the third party websites. ComSouth urges you to review carefully the privacy policies posted on these sites. ComSouth cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information found on these sites. Please be aware that ComSouth does not control, nor are we responsible for, the privacy policies of third parties or their company websites. This Privacy Statement applies only to ComSouth and the information we collect on our site.

With whom do we share your information?

As described above, some of your information may be shared with third parties as a result of your navigation to the third party web site. In addition and with your prior authorization, we may, in the future, need to share certain personal or non-personal information with our affiliated companies with whom we have established business relationships.
ComSouth will never willfully disclose individually identifiable information about its customers to a third party without first receiving that customer’s permission unless ComSouth believes in good faith that the law requires it, or to protect the rights or property of ComSouth.

How does ComSouth protect your personal information?

ComSouth takes reasonable precautions to protect your personal information against unauthorized access by storing the information on a secure server, which is accessible only by authorized personnel.
Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure and we will not be held liable should a third party illegally obtain your personal information. While we have made significant efforts to protect your personal information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk.
ComSouth takes special care to protect the safety and privacy of young people using its services. The ComSouth site does not knowingly collect information about children and the majority of its site is not specifically directed to children. ComSouth believes that children should get their parents’ consent before giving out any personal information. ComSouthencourages parents and legal guardians to participate in their child’s experience on its website. Children should always ask a parent for permission before sending personal information to ComSouth, or to anyone on the Internet.

How do you provide consent?

By using ComSouth’s website, you agree with our Privacy Statement and our policies and procedures contained herein regarding the collection and sharing of your information.

How often are changes made to the Privacy Statement and how will you learn of the changes?

ComSouth reserves the right to change, modify or update this Privacy Statement at any time without notice. In the event of any modification, we will post the changes in this Privacy Statement so that you will always know what information we are gathering and how we might use that information. However if such changes are material, we will either announce the change on the home page of the site or take such other action as we deem appropriate under the circumstances. Accordingly, you should periodically visit this page to determine the current Privacy Statement to which you are bound.

COMSOUTH TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Broadband Internet Service
Network Management Policy

ComSouth Telecommunications, Inc. (“ComSouth” or “Company”) provides this Policy in order to disclose its network management practices in accordance with the FCC’s Open Internet Rules. Information about ComSouth’s other policies and practices are available at www.comsouth.net (“ComSouth Website”).

ComSouth manages its network to ensure that all of its customers experience a safe and secure broadband Internet environment that is fast, reliable and affordable. ComSouth 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.

ComSouth manages its network for a number of reasons, including optimization, as well as congestion- and security-protocol-management. But, very few of ComSouth’s customers are impacted by the protocols and practices thatComSouth uses to manage its network.

In addition to this Network Management Policy, patrons may also find links to the following on ComSouth’s website:

Frequently Asked Questions
Acceptable Use Policy

ComSouth’s Network Management Practices

ComSouth uses various tools and industry standard techniques to manage its network and deliver fast, secure and reliable Internet service. Such management tools and practices include the following:

Managing Congestion

ComSouth periodically monitors the connections on its network in the aggregate to determine the rate of utilization. If congestion emerges on the network, ComSouth will engage in the re-routing of Internet traffic to relieve congestion. In order to reduce instances of congestion, ComSouth adds capacity to its network when utilization has reached a level of at least 85%. On our core and access networks, ComSouth may increase capacity by adding FTTH nodes, transport, Internet aggregation routers and bandwidth, as needed.

On ComSouth’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 when instances of congestion do occur on ComSouth’s network.

Customers whose conduct abuses or threatens ComSouth’s network or which violates the Company’s Acceptable Use Policy or Internet service Terms and Conditions 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.

ComSouth’s network and congestion management practices are ‘application-agnostic’, based on current network conditions, and are not implemented on the basis of customers’ online activities, protocols or applications. ComSouth’snetwork management does not relate to any particular customer’s aggregate monthly data usage.

II. Network Security

ComSouth 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 providing resources to its customers for identifying and reporting such threats as spam, viruses, firewall issues, and phishing schemes. ComSouth also deploys spam filters in order to divert spam from an online customer’s email inbox while allowing the customer to control which emails are identified as spam.

As its normal practice, ComSouth does not block any protocols, content or traffic for purposes of network management except that the company 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.

Except as may be provided elsewhere herein, ComSouth does not currently engage in any application-specific behaviors nor does it employ any device attachment rules for its network.

III. Technology

ComSouth’s network management employs a variety of industry-standard tools, applications and devices to monitor, secure and maintain its network. ComSouth uses network management software to monitor aggregate traffic usage.

IV. Monitoring Schedule

ComSouth uses network management software to conduct periodic monitoring of the network in order to detect abnormal traffic flows, congestion, network security breaches, malware, loss, and damage to the network. This monitoring is done on a daily basis.

V. Network Performance

ComSouth takes measurements of various components for network performance, analysis of the measurements to determine normal levels, and determination of appropriate threshold values to ensure required levels of performance for its network. ComSouth measures such components as mean upload/download speeds, latency, internal testing, and consumer speed tests to gauge network performance. The Company monitors the values of these components to determine the overall performance of the network.

ComSouth makes every effort to support advertised speeds and will dispatch repair technicians to customer sites to perform speed tests as needed to troubleshoot and resolve speed and application performance caused by ComSouth’s network. ComSouth measures availability, latency, and aggregate utilization on the network and strives to meet internal service level targets. However, customer’s service performance may also be affected by one or more of the following: (1) the particular websites being accessed; (2) capacity in the public Internet beyond ComSouth’s network; (3) customer’s computer and equipment (including wireless router); and (4) inside wiring at customer’s premise.

ComSouth is in the process of developing additional systems that will allow us to measure these indicators out to test points at each major network aggregation site on the edge of our last mile network. Once these systems are developed,ComSouth will be able to measure system metrics on a network-wide basis and will disclose the results on its website.

VI. Specialized Services

ComSouth provides VoIP in some cases, a Specialized Service. VoIP is a real time service that commands optimal bandwidth. ComSouth separates the VoIP service from customers’ general broadband traffic. Accordingly, ComSouth’s VoIP service does not have an impact on other customers’ broadband experience.

VII. Commercial Terms

A description of ComSouth’s service offerings and rates may be found on ComSouth’s website at the following link: www.ComSouth.net. ComSouth’s Privacy Policy may be found on ComSouth’s website at the following link: www.comsouth.net.

For questions, complaints or requests for additional information, please contact ComSouth at 478-783-4001 (Hawkinsville); 478-271-4001 (Cochran); 478-825-3626 (Fort Valley); 478-224-4001 (Bonaire, Kathleen, Marshallville, Perry, and Warner Robbins); 478-355-4001 (Unadilla); or 229-390-4001 (Pinehurst).

COMSOUTH TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Network Management - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is network management?
Network management is the reasonable and nondiscriminatory enforcement of network usage policies and the management of bandwidth use and capacity while maintaining the promotion of the dynamic benefits of an open and accessible Internet.
Why does ComSouth manage its network?
ComSouth manages its network in order to provide the ultimate broadband Internet service to its customers. ComSouthacknowledges that bandwidth and network resources are not infinite and must be reasonably confined. In order to bring you the best possible broadband Internet experience, ComSouth enforces network management policies that limit network congestion and delay while ensuring that all Internet content is treated equally and is not unlawfully blocked or degraded.
The FCC encourages all fixed broadband Internet access providers, such as ComSouth, to manage networks with transparency and nondiscrimination.
How does ComSouth manage its network?
ComSouth has policies in place to ensure that customers are able to access the lawful Internet content of their choice, run the Internet applications of their choice and to promote the continued development of the Internet. ComSouth’s network management practices are nondiscriminatory, application-neutral, and minimally intrusive. ComSouth may use one or more of the following to manage its network:

Capping a users bandwidth capacity with monthly usage thresholds per account;
Charging overage fees for the use of bandwidth over the specified capacity;
Application-agnostic, usage consumption-based prioritization of traffic;
Making additions or upgrades to increase network capacity;
Enforcing its Acceptable Use Policy and Terms and Conditions of service against customers abusing the network;
Using security protocols to ensure authentication of customers;
Monitoring the network to identify congestion, security breaches, malware or damage to the network;
Blocking spam;
Preventing viruses from harming the network; and
Thwarting denial of service attacks.

Network management practices are a necessity to guard against harmful threats to the network such as network congestion, security attacks, excessive spam, and viruses. Reasonable network management practices ensure that you will have the best possible broadband Internet experience.
Will ComSouth’s network management impact my online experience?
ComSouth uses reasonable network management tools and practices that are minimally intrusive to its customers and are consistent with industry standards. In accordance with ComSouth’s Terms and Conditions for Service and Broadband Internet Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”), Customers have agreed to comply with all current bandwidth, data storage, and other limitations on ComSouth’s Broadband Internet services. Thus, ComSouth’s tools and practices will generally impact only users that have consumed an excessive amount of bandwidth at any time during a one month period. Users are more likely to experience an impact on online experience during peak periods where congestion is prevalent.
What can I expect if I am in violation of ComSouth’s Terms and Conditions of Service, company policies or service contracts?
In addition to being subject to the specific terms of the Terms and Conditions of Service, or individual company policy or service contract, if you, the customer, are using conduct which abuses or threatens harm to the ComSouth network at any time, the impact to your online experience may include, but will not necessarily be limited to, any one or all of the following:

notification by ComSouth that you are in excess of the monthly bandwidth threshold and provision of a reasonable timeframe in which to take corrective action;
removal or blockage of material that violates ComSouth’s Terms and Conditions of Service or company policies or service contracts, including but not limited to, illegal content;
suspension or delay of the delivery of email if deemed excessive;
filtering of Internet transmissions; and
suspension or termination of your Broadband Internet service account.

Customers could also experience longer download or upload times or slower web surfing.
Will I be suspended from the network if I use certain applications?
ComSouth’s reasonable network management tools and practices do not discriminate between applications. They are application-agnostic. Thus, ComSouth will not manage its network congestion or security protocols based on applications being used by its customers with ComSouth’s broadband Internet service. ComSouth’s network management is based on current network conditions and the amount of bandwidth being used by individual customers.
What should I do if my account is suspended?
If your account is suspended, you should contact ComSouth and follow ComSouth’s instructions for reinstating service.
When does ComSouth use this method?
ComSouth uses its reasonable network management practices and policies to manage network congestion and network security.
Does ComSouth discriminate against particular types of applications or content?
No. ComSouth does not manage its network based on online protocols, activities or applications that a customer uses. Rather, ComSouth’s network management practices focus on the largest bandwidth volumes being used by individual customers.