French Broad Fiber Internet Service Disclosure
Updated: June 11, 2018
This page provides information about the network practices, performance characteristics and commercial terms applicable to French Broad Fiber’s broadband Internet services, consistent with the Federal Communications Commission’s Open Internet Rules.
The information contained on this page is not a contract and does not change the terms and conditions associated with any French Broad Fiber Internet service. This disclosure is provided for informational purposes only in accordance with FCC requirements and may be changed at any time, without notice.
Network Management Practices
Blocking
French Broad Fiber does not block any protocols, legal content, applications, services or traffic for the purpose of network management. However, there are a few ports we may block to prevent malicious traffic such as spam, viruses, malware and denial of service attacks to protect the security of our network and our customers. We have included a table below listing the Internet ports we block and the reason for blocking them.
| Port | Transport | Protocol | Direction to Customer | Reason for Block | IP Version |
| 67 | UDP | BOOTP, DHCP | Downstream | UDP Port 67, which is used to obtain dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) address information from a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server, is vulnerable to malicious hacks. | IPv4 |
| 80 | TCP | HTTP | Downstream | Web browsers use Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) to communicate with web servers. In addition to protecting bandwidth by preventing customers from running high-traffic web servers, we can stop many destructive worms that spread through security holes in web server software. | IPv4 |
| 135-139 | TCP/UDP | NetBios | Both | NetBios services allow file sharing over networks. When improperly configured, ports 135-139 can expose critical system files or give full file system access (run, delete, copy) to any malicious intruder connected to the network. | IPv4 |
| 161 | UDP | SNMP | Both | SNMP is vulnerable to reflected amplification distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. | IPv4 |
| 445 | TCP | MS-DS, SMB | Both | Port 445 is vulnerable to attacks, exploits and malware. | IPv4 |
| 520 | UDP | RIP | Both | Port 520 is vulnerable to malicious route updates, which provides several attack possibilities. | IPv4 |
| 547 | UDP | DHCPv6 | Downstream | UDP Port 547, which is used to obtain dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) address information from a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server, is vulnerable to malicious hacks. | IPv6 |
| 1080 | TCP | SOCKS | Downstream | Port 1080 is vulnerable to various malware and DoS attacks. | IPv4 |
| 1900 | UDP | SSDP | Both | Port 1900 is vulnerable to DoS attacks. | IPv4 |
Throttling
French Broad Fiber does not block, degrade or impair access to lawful Internet traffic on the basis of content, application, service, user or use of a non-harmful device.
Affiliated/Paid Prioritization
French Broad Fiber does not apply any network management tools that directly or indirectly favor some traffic over other traffic, including through use of techniques such as traffic shaping, prioritization, or resource reservation, to benefit an affiliate or in exchange for compensation by any party.
Congestion Management
French Broad Fiber does not currently utilize any congestion management practices on its network.
Application-Specific Behavior
French Broad Fiber does not currently engage in any application-specific behaviors on its network.
Device Attachment Rules
French Broad Fiber provides all customers with a managed premise router as part of its Internet services. Customers may attach any standard network device beyond French Broad Fiber’s managed premise router. If French Broad Fiber determines a customer device to be harmful to the network then we reserve the right to request that the customer remove the device from the network.
Performance Characteristics
Service Description
French Broad Fiber’s Internet services are provisioned as “best effort” and “up to” the advertised maximum bandwidth. French Broad Fiber makes every effort to support advertised speeds and will perform speed tests as needed to troubleshoot and resolve speed and application performance issues that exist on our network. French Broad Fiber measures availability, latency, and aggregate utilization on the network and strives to meet internal service level targets in its network. However, the customer’s connection performance is affected by the particular website being accessed, capacity in the public internet beyond the French Broad Fiber network and the customer’s computer, inside wiring, wireless router and other customer equipment.
Customers may test their actual speeds using services such as speedtest.net or fast.com. French Broad Fiber utilizes available systems and processes that allow the Company to measure the performance of the company controlled network against advertised speeds. French Broad Fiber provides a detailed summary of our speeds and prices on our Pricing page.
Impact of Non-Broadband Internet Access Service Data Services
French Broad Fiber offers an Internet Protocol-voice based service called Unlimited Phone to customers with our broadband Internet service. Due to the phone service’s sensitivity to latency, it does receive quality of service (QoS) treatment on the French Broad Fiber network where it is available. This treatment of VoIP traffic should have no material impact on capacity or bandwidth availability for broadband Internet access.
Commercial Terms
Price
French Broad Fiber’s Internet service levels, descriptions and fees may be found on our Pricing page. Additional fees, such as for our wireless extender equipment rental or non-standard installation may apply.
Privacy Policies
French Broad Fiber’s privacy policies with respect to our broadband Internet service are explained in the French Broad Fiber Customer Privacy Notice.
Redress Options
If you have any questions about these disclosures or have any other concerns about French Broad Fiber’s Internet service, please contact us through our Contact Us Page. French Broad Fiber will review and promptly respond to all submissions.