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Equipment responsibility
Equipment Responsibility
Annual Subscriber Notice and Privacy Policy
MERRIMAC
COMMUNICATIONS
Annual Cable
Customer and Privacy Notice
This
notice contains important information concerning your cable television
services. We provide this notice as
a service to our customers and in accordance with applicable federal law and
FCC regulations. It is important to
us that you are informed about the services we provide, our policies and
procedures, and your rights as a customer.
We encourage you to review the following information and contact us at
(608) 493-9470 with any questions.
Cable Notice
Customer privacy
Personally identifiable subscriber information;
restrictions on access. To provide cable and other services, we
collect and maintain personally identifiable information concerning
customers. That information may
include name, address, phone number, social security number, driver's license
number, billing records, service maintenance and repair records, premium
service subscription information, marketing information, and customer
complaints. Except as indicated
below under “Disclosure prohibited; exceptions,” all personally identifiable information is used for the normal
business purpose of offering and providing cable television service and other
services to you. Only persons
authorized by us may access this information. Persons authorized to access customer
information include our employees and sales agents, billing and collections
services, accountants, and other businesses that provide products and services
to us. These persons may access
customer information on a regular basis.
We maintain certain customer information for as long as we provide
service to a customer and for a commercially reasonable time thereafter. Other customer information is
periodically destroyed.
Disclosure prohibited; exceptions. Federal
law prohibits the disclosure of your personally identifiable subscriber
information without your consent, except under the following circumstances:
Business
activities. We
may disclose customer information in order to conduct business activities
related to providing cable service or other services.
Unauthorized reception of cable service. We
may disclose customer information in order to detect unauthorized reception of
our cable service.
Names
and addresses to third parties. We may disclose names and addresses to
third parties for the purposes of mailing lists, charities, and direct mail
marketing, unless you notify us in writing that you do not wish us to disclose
it. You may write to us at any time
with this request.
Court
order. We must disclose personally identifiable
information without your consent if we are required to do so by a court
order. If we are served with a
court order requiring disclosure, we will promptly inform you before releasing any
information. You will then have an
opportunity to contest the order.
Law enforcement request. We
may also disclose personally identifiable information without
your consent when requested by law enforcement under certain
circumstances.
Customer rights. As a customer, you may
review the personal information we maintain about you by contacting us and
making an appointment to meet at our office during normal business hours. We will need a reasonable amount of time
to collect your information and remove any references to other customers. You may request correction of any errors
in the personal information we collect or maintain pertaining to you. You have the right under federal law to
enforce your cable privacy rights through a civil action in federal district
court.
Customer service
Complaint procedures. At Merrimac Communications, providing high-quality
customer care and technical service is our top priority. We
endeavor to resolve any complaints concerning cable television or other
services as soon as possible.
Please use the following procedures to help us resolve your complaints:
1.
Contact us at
(608) 493-9470. We are open
weekdays from 7 am to 9 pm and weekends 8 am to 9 pm. An answering service may take your
message at other times.
2.
During these
hours, you may speak with a Customer Service Representative (CSR). Our CSR will attempt to determine the
nature of the problem. If the
problem cannot be resolved over the phone, the CSR will schedule a Service
Technician to visit your home, usually by the next business day.
3.
If you do not
call during our normal business hours, leave a complete message with the
answering service, including your name, address, work and home telephone
numbers, and a brief description of the problem. When possible, a Service Technician will
be dispatched by the next business day to fix the problem. In other cases, the answering service
will forward the message to our office, and we will contact you during normal
business hours.
4.
Emergencies such
as fallen trees or utility poles, violent storms, or very cold weather may
interfere with cable or other services.
We promptly dispatch our crews to correct any emergency. Please keep in mind that some emergency
situations may affect a large service area, and it may take several days to
resume full service to the entire area.
5.
We maintain
complaint records for at least one year.
Those records are available for inspection by the applicable local
franchise authority and the FCC.
If
a problem is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may write or call us with
concerns or complaints. You may
also contact your local franchise authority at the address on the attached
list.
Services and prices. Please
contact us at (608) 493-9470, or visit our website at http://www.merr.com for information on services and prices including:
·
Products and
services offered
·
Prices and
options for subscribing to services
·
Channel positions
·
Installation and
maintenance policies and prices
·
Instructions for
using our cable service
Equipment
compatibility
Set-top boxes. Some
models of TV receivers and other devices (VCRs, DVD Players, TiVo…etc.) may not
be able to receive all of the channels offered on our system. Channel compatibility problems
may occur if TVs and certain other equipment are connected directly to the cable system. Use of a set-top box typically resolves
these problems. Channel
compatibility problems associated with the reception of programming that is not
scrambled or encrypted programming can be resolved by using a simple converter
device without descrambling or decryption capabilities. Converters are available from Merrimac
Communications and may be available from retail outlets in some areas.
If your service is received
through a set-top box, you may not be able to use special features and
functions on certain TVs and other devices. For example, some set-top boxes may not
be compatible with features that allow you to view a program on one channel
while simultaneously recording a program on another channel; record two or more
consecutive programs that appear on different channels; or use advanced picture
generation, and display features such as "Picture-in-Picture."
Special equipment. Scrambling or encryption
technologies may affect your reception of signals. We offer special equipment to customers
encountering these problems.
Cable Cards. We offer cable cards to allow access to
the digital cable services we offer without a set-top box. Pricing and installation information can
be found at: http://www.merr.com/prices.html.
Remote control devices. Remote
control devices available from retail outlets may be compatible with our
set-top boxes. Models of remote
control devices that are compatible with our set-top boxes, and instructions
for using them can be found at http://www.merr.com/remote_control_user_manuals.html.
Unauthorized reception
of cable service
Federal and state laws make
it a crime to receive, or assist another in receiving, any cable service
without our express authorization.
Violators face substantial criminal penalties including fines and
imprisonment. In addition, we are
entitled under the law to sue cable thieves in federal or state court and
obtain injunctions and substantial damages. Reception of any cable service
without our express authorization is prohibited.
Franchise Authority
Contact information
Village of Merrimac, 100 Cook
St., Merrimac WI 53561 608-493-2122
Town of
Merrimac, S6911 State Hwy. 113,
Merrimac, WI 53561 608-493-2588
Town of Caledonia, N5479 Beich Rd, Portage, WI 53901, 608-742-4801
Town of West Poiont, N2114 Rausch Rd., Lodi, WI 53555, 608-592-7059
Town of Sumpter,
E10836 Kings Corner Road, North Freedom, WI 53951, 608-643-4974
Town of Roxbury, 9203 County
Road Y, Sauk City, WI 53583, 643-4762
Town of Prairie du Sac, S9903
Hwy 12, Prairie du Sac, WI 53578, 608-643-3656
Town of Mazomanie, 711 West
Hudson St., Mazomanie, WI 53560-0396, 608-795-2920
Village of Prairie du Sac,
335 Galena Street, Prairie du Sac, WI 53578, 608-643-2421
Village of Sauk City, 726
Water St., Sauk City, WI 53583, 608-643-3932
MERRIMAC COMMUNICATIONS
BROADBAND INTERNET SERVICE DISCLOSURES
Consistent
with FCC regulations,[1] Merrimac
Communications, Ltd. (“Merrimac”) provides
this information about our broadband Internet access services. Our broadband Internet access services include
our “High Speed Internet” service offered through cable modem and fixed
wireless technologies. We provide
each of these High Speed Internet services through the network that we own and
manage.
We
also serve as sales and service agent for Mad City Broadband Internet services
(“Mad City”). Mad City does not
travel on our network, and we do not manage the service. These disclosures
apply to the High Speed Internet services offered on our network, and do not
apply to Mad City. For more
information about Mad City, please visit the company’s website, http://www.madcitybroadband.com/.
We
welcome questions or comments about the information contained in these
disclosures. You may contact us at (608) 493-9470
or email at office@merr.com.
Network Practices
General Description. We provide a variety of Internet service
offerings to our residential and business customers. We provide the service over our
broadband network and through third party fiber optic lines connecting to the
Internet. We also contract with one
or more companies for certain network monitoring and management services. We monitor our network and traffic
patterns and make changes we deem necessary to manage and improve overall
network performance. We use
reasonable, nondiscriminatory, network management practices to improve overall
network performance to ensure a high-quality online experience for all users. Our network management practices do not
target any specific content, application, service, or device. As network management issues arise
and as technology develops, we may employ additional or new network management
practices. We will update these
disclosures as necessary.
Related Documents and Disclosures. Use of our Internet
service is also governed by:
·
Merrimac
Acceptable Use Policy, available at www.merr.com
·
Merrimac
Annual Subscriber Notice and Privacy Policy, available at www.merr.com
·
Merrimac
Terms and Conditions, available at www.merr.com
Congestion
Management. We describe in this
section network management practices used to address congestion on our network.
Network monitoring. We monitor our network
for utilization trends. We receive
regular reports showing changes in network traffic and congestion. We use this information to plan increases
in bandwidth available, port additions, or additional connectivity to the Internet. We place no limitations on data
usage.
Types of
traffic affected. Our congestion management practices do
not target any specific content, application, service, or device.
Purposes
of congestion management practices.
Our
Internet network is a shared network.
This means that our customers share upstream and downstream
bandwidth. The goal of our
congestion management practices is to enable better network availability and
speeds for all users. Our
congestion management practices serve to:
·
Help
us adapt and upgrade our network to maintain or improve network performance as
demand for our Internet service increases.
·
Help
us adapt and upgrade our network to maintain or improve network performance as
demand for higher bandwidth applications increases. Some examples of higher bandwidth
applications are gaming, streaming movies, and streaming high definition video.
Congestion
management criteria. Our network monitoring
provides data to help us plan upgrades to our network, equipment, technology,
and connectivity to the Internet.
As demand for our Internet service increases, and as demand for higher
bandwidth applications increases, we monitor effects on network performance and
plan upgrades as we deem necessary.
Effects on
end user experience. Because our Internet service network is
a shared network, periods of high network demand may result in Internet traffic
congestion. End users may
experience reduced bandwidth or speed during these times.
Typical
frequency of congestion. Congestion tends to
occur during periods of peak demand for higher bandwidth applications. Generally, the frequency of congestion
tends to increase during 7 pm – 11 pm, especially on Friday and Saturday
nights.
Application-Specific Practices. This section discloses
any application-specific practices we use, if any.
Management of specific protocols or protocol ports. To protect the security of our network
and our customers, we block known hostile ports.
Modification of protocol fields. Not applicable.
Applications or classes of
applications inhibited or favored. Not applicable.
Device
Attachment Rules. This section addresses any limitations
on attaching lawful devices to our network.
General restrictions on types of devices to connect to network. We place no general restrictions on
lawful devices that a customer may connect our network, so long as the device
is: (i) compatible with our network; and (ii) does not harm our network or
other users. Our High Speed
Internet service works with most types of PCs and laptops including Macs, and
other Internet compatible devices like game systems and Internet-enabled
TVs. If a wireless router is
connected to our High Speed Internet service, wireless Internet compatible devices
including computers, tablets, smartphones, and other devices can connect to our
network. If a customer or potential
customer believes they have an unusual configuration, our customer service
department will help determine if there is a compatibility problem.
Certain equipment is
required to connect to our network for High Speed Internet service. The specific equipment varies with the
type of service.
Cable modem Internet service. Our Internet service requires connection
of a cable modem to our network.
You can obtain a cable modem from us or you may purchase one from most
retail electronics sellers. Only devices that have been fully certified by CableLabs as
compliant with the DOCSIS 2.0 or DOCSIS 3.0 specifications may be used.
Fixed Wireless
Service. To use our High Speed Internet service delivered
via Fixed Wireless, a customer must have a compatible wireless antenna. The
customer can either connect a computer directly to the wireless antenna or can
connect a wired or wireless router to the wireless antenna. Through the router, the customer can
connect wired or wireless devices to our network. A customer may obtain a compatible
wireless antenna from Merrimac or may use a compatible commercially available
wireless antenna. If a customer has
a question about wireless antenna compatibility, our customer service
department will help.
Network and End User Security. This
section provides a general description of the practices we use to maintain
security of our network and end users, including triggering conditions.
Practices used to ensure end user security, including
triggering conditions.
Hostile port blocking: We block known hostile ports to prevent
unwanted files, browser hacking and virus attacks.
Virus and Spam filtering: We filter email and website traffic for
virus activity and Spam using industry standard virus scanning and prevention
techniques. Should an email message
be found to contain a virus or other harmful content, the message will be
deleted without notification given to either the sender or the intended recipient(s).
Practices
used to ensure security of the network, including triggering conditions. Merrimac uses a variety of
industry standard practices to protect our network from harmful attacks.
Hostile port blocking: We block known hostile ports to prevent
unwanted files, browser hacking and virus attacks.
Virus and Spam filtering: We offer customers antivirus software
and spam filtering services.
Performance Characteristics
General Service
Description. Our High Speed Internet service enables a
customer to connect an Internet-enabled device through either a wired or
wireless connection. The equipment
required to connect a computer or other device to the Internet depends on the
type of High Speed Internet service used.
For example, our Cable Modem Internet service product includes wiring, a
cable modem and a network interface card (NIC) for the personal computer, if required. Through our Internet service products,
we serve as a local Internet service provider. Our Internet service products enable
residential and commercial subscribers to access all lawful content,
applications, and services of their choice available on the Internet.
Service technology. We deliver our High Speed Internet
service through two different service technologies – Cable Modem and
Fixed Wireless. The equipment
required to connect a computer or other device to the Internet depends on the
type of High Speed Internet service used.
Our network is a shared network, which means that our customers share
upstream and downstream bandwidth.
Expected
and Actual Speeds and Latency.
Expected
performance.
We offer our residential customers a variety of High Speed Internet service
levels. We provide a description of
the expected maximum transfer speeds associated with each service level on our
website, available at http://www.merr.com/prices.html.
Speed. The speeds we identify for each Internet access
service level are the maximum upload and download speeds that customers are likely
to experience. We provision our
customers’ modems and engineer our network to deliver the speeds to which our
customers subscribe. However, we do
not guarantee that a customer will actually achieve those speeds at all
times. A variety of factors can
affect upload and download speeds, including customer equipment, network
equipment, congestion in our network, congestion beyond our network,
performance issues with an Internet application, content, or service, and more.
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.
Actual speed and Latency
Performance. Actual speed and latency performance for our
cable modem and fixed wireless Internet services follows.
Cable
modem service. Actual speed and latency
may vary depending upon network conditions and other factors. Actual performance of our Internet
access service in most cases will conform to national wireline broadband
Internet speed and latency levels reported by the FCC.[2] The FCC has reported that customers of
coaxial cable-based broadband Internet services receive mean download speeds
that are within 93% of advertised speeds during non-peak hours, and 85.7% of
advertised speeds during peak hours.[3] In addition, the FCC has reported that
these same customers experience average latency[4] delays of 28 milliseconds,
increasing by an average of 30 milliseconds during peak hours.
Fixed
Wireless service. The FCC has not reported average actual
speed and latency for Fixed Wireless service. We anticipate average actual speed and
latency will be similar to our lowest level of cable modem service.
Suitability
of the service for real-time applications.
Our
Internet service is suitable for typical real-time applications including
messaging, voice applications, video chat applications, gaming, and Internet
video. If users or developers have questions about particular real-time
applications, please contact us by phone at (608) 493-9470 or
by email at office@merr.com.
Specialized
Services. We provide below information regarding
our specialized services.
Specialized
services offered to end users. We
offer several specialized services over our network, sharing network capacity
with our High Speed Internet service.
Specialized services include Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and
dedicated bandwidth to high volume business users.
Effects of
specialized services on availability and performance of broadband Internet
access service. Our specialized services have no effect
on the availability and performance of our High Speed Internet service.
Commercial Terms
Prices. Monthly prices for our Internet service are
available at http://www.merr.com/prices.html.
Usage-based fees.
Not
applicable.
Fees for early termination. Not applicable.
Fees for
additional network services. We offer static IP
addresses for our business customers.
Pricing is available at http://www.merr.com/internet_services.html.
Privacy Policies. We do not disclose High
Speed Internet service customer or use information to third parties except: (i)
as necessary to provide our High Speed Internet service and to manage our
network; or (ii) in response to law enforcement requests, court order, or as
otherwise required or authorized by law.
Inspection of Network Traffic. We routinely monitor network and traffic
patterns.
Virus and spam
filtering. Email traffic filtering is performed by
a third-party provider, offered $0.50 per month to our customers. The service, at the customer’s option, is
also all inclusive for website protection.
Storage of
network traffic information for cable modem Internet service. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)
information is a code included in all network traffic that associates that
traffic with a particular cable modem sending or receiving the traffic. We store DHCP information for at least 6
months.
Provision
of network traffic information to third parties. We may disclose network traffic information to
third parties solely for purposes of providing and maintaining our Internet
service product or if required by law.
Use of
network traffic information for non-network management purposes. None.
REDRESS OPTIONS
Practices for resolving
end-user and edge provider complaints and questions. End users or edge providers with
complaints or questions should contact us by phone at (608) 493-9470 or office@merr.com.
Questions:
We will endeavor to answer questions promptly via email or voice.
Complaints: We will provide an initial response in
writing within 15 business days of receipt. We will attempt to resolve complaints
informally, escalating the matter to senior management if needed.