P: 1-800-636-6680
F: 1-406-783-5283
Email: nemont@nemont.coop

Nemont Telephone
P.O. Box 600
61 HWY 13 S
Scobey, MT 59263

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Network Management Policy

Nemont Telephone Cooperative, Inc. ("We", "Our", "Us") provides this Network Management Policy ("Policy") in accordance with Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") requirements to disclose certain network management practices, performance characteristics, and commercial terms. Additional information about our broadband policies and practices is available at https://www.nemont.com/.

Network Practices

We engage in network management practices that are tailored and appropriate for achieving optimization on our network considering the particular network architecture and technology of our broadband Internet access service. Our goal is to ensure that all our customers experience a safe and secure broadband Internet environment that is fast, reliable, and affordable. We want our customers to experience all the Internet offers, whether it is social networking, streaming videos, gaming, listening to music, or communicating through email and videoconferencing.

We will not unjustly or unreasonably prevent or interfere with competition among Content, Applications, Service, or Device Providers.

Network Management Disclosures

Our network practices include congestion- and security-protocol-management. Such protocols and practices generally will not impact our customers' user experience. We use various tools and industry-standard techniques to manage our network to ensure fast, secure, and reliable Internet service. We provide the following overview of our network management practices:

  1. Blocking: We do not block or discriminate against lawful Internet content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices. 

  2. Throttling: We do not throttle, impair, or degrade lawful Internet traffic based on content, application, service, user, or use of a non-harmful device.

  3. Affiliated Prioritization: We do not favor any Internet traffic over others, including through the use of techniques such as traffic shaping, prioritization, or resource reservation, to benefit an affiliate, and we have no plans to do so.

  4. Paid Prioritization: We have never engaged in paid prioritization. We do not prioritize Internet websites over others in exchange for any consideration to benefit content, applications, services, or devices. We do not plan to enter into paid prioritization deals to create fast lanes.

  5. Congestion Management: We continuously monitor the connections on our network in the aggregate to determine the utilization rate. If congestion emerges on the network, we will take the appropriate measures to relieve congestion. 

    On our 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. However, some customers may experience longer download or upload times or slower web surfing speeds if congestion occurs on our network. 

    Customers using conduct that abuses or threatens our network or which violates our 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 cease such conduct could result in service suspension or termination. 

    Our network and congestion management practices are 'application-agnostic,' based on current network conditions, and are not implemented based on customers' online activities, protocols, or applications. Our network management practices do not relate to any particular customer's aggregate monthly data usage.

    We continuously monitor our network to determine its utilization. We also check 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, we notify the customer via email or phone. If a violation of our policies has occurred and such violation is not remedied, we will seek to suspend or terminate that customer's service. 

  6. Application-Specific Behavior: Except as may be provided elsewhere herein, we do not engage in any application-specific behaviors on our network. Customers may use any lawful applications with us.

  7. Device Attachment Rules: For best results, wireless modems or other proprietary network gateways used on our broadband network should be provided by us. 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 their equipment does not harm our network or impair other customers' service. We are not responsible for the functionality or compatibility of our customers' equipment. Customers are responsible for securing their own equipment to prevent third parties from unauthorized access to our broadband network and will be held responsible for the actions of such third parties who gain unauthorized access through unsecured customer equipment.

  8. Network Security: We know the importance of securing our network and customers from network threats and annoyances. We promote the security of our network and patrons by protecting them from threats like spam, viruses, firewall issues, and phishing schemes. We also deploy spam filters 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. 

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

Network Performance 

  1. Service Descriptions

    We serve a large geographic area that is sporadically populated. Because of this, every area within our service territory does not receive the same technology or service. All internet services sold are sold as best effort. The obtainability of specific technology depends on the customer's geographic location and the correlation to the location of the deployed facilities. Our variety of facilities deployed throughout the service area prevents illustration of service availability in a specific area; however, detailed information is available about choices for technologies and services by contacting us at 1-800-636-6680, on our website at https://www.nemont.com/ or by email at nemont@nemont.coop.

  2. Network Performance

    We make every effort to support advertised speeds and will dispatch repair technicians to customer sites to perform tests as needed to troubleshoot and resolve speed and application performance caused by our network. We measure availability, latency, and aggregate utilization on the network and strive to meet internal service level targets. 

    However, the download or upload speeds for a particular distant website or other Internet resource are affected by factors beyond our control, including the speed of the connection from a distant web server to the Internet, congestion on intermediate networks, and limitations on the customer's computer, wireless router, and other customer equipment. In addition, the customer's inside-premises wiring could affect service performance. Accordingly, customers should consider the capabilities of their own equipment when choosing broadband service. Customers may need to upgrade their computers and other networks in their homes or offices to take full advantage of the chosen broadband plan.

    For the CMRS wireless service, we measure the Bit Error Rate (BER) and the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) parameters for transmission rates, and traffic every 5 minutes. This information is stored in the Network Manager for the equipment.  For DSL, Fiber, and T1 services, we measure traffic based on a 5-minute average polling window. All services are best effort. 

    We test each service's actual and expected access speeds at the time of network installation to demonstrate that it is capable of supporting the advertised speed.

    Customers may also test their actual speeds using the speed test located at https://www.nemont.com/residential/internet/internet-speed-test/ and request assistance by calling our business office at 1-800-636-6680 or by emailing nemont@nemont.coop. 

    Based on the network information we receive from our monitoring efforts; our network delivers the data transmission rates advertised for the different high-speed Internet services. To be sure, we are implementing a program to test our network's performance using a test protocol similar to the one sanctioned by the FCC. We will install specific network performance monitoring equipment at aggregation points across our network and conduct a series of tests using this equipment.

    The following charts show our internal testing results as of June 2024,

    RESIDENTIAL SPEEDS


    Speed Tier (Download/Upload
    Speed in Mbps)
    Technology Download/Upload Speed:
    Median at Peak (Mbps)
    Download/Upload Speed:
    Median Off-Peak (Mbps)
    Latency: Median at Peak (ms) Latency: Median
    Off-Peak (ms)
    10/1 Copper 9.3/.87 9.67/.92 19 15
    20/3 Copper 17/1.7 19.2/2.4 18 15
    30/5 Copper 26.3/4.3 27.6/4.9 18 14
    100/100  Fiber 98.7/102.2 102/103.8  15  15 
    250/250  Fiber 228.3/248 240.7/252.7 16 15
    500/500  Fiber 437.9/462.1 475.5/471.4 14 15
    1000/1000  Fiber 819.3/767.5 931.5/939.4 14 13
    30/30 Fixed Wireless 18.9/12.2 26.9/29.3 43 37
    100/100  Fixed Wireless 96.5/94.1 108.5/112.1 41 39

    BUSINESS SPEEDS


    Speed Tier (Download/Upload
    Speed in Mbps)
    Technology Download/Upload Speed: Median at Peak (Mbps) Download/Upload Speed: Median Off-Peak (Mbps) Latency: Median at Peak (ms) Latency: Median
    Off-Peak (ms)
    10/1 Copper 9.3/.87 9.67/.92 19 15
    20/3 Copper 17/1.7 19.2/2.4 18 15
    30/5 Copper 26.3/4.3 27.6/4.9 18 14
    100/100 Fiber 98.7/102.2 102/103.8 15 15
    250/250 Fiber 228.3/248 240.7/252.7 16 15
    500/500 Fiber 437.9/462.1 475.5/471.4 14 15
    1000/1000 Fiber 819.3/767.5 931.5/939.4 14 13


  3. Impact of Non-BIAS Data Services

    The FCC defines two types of broadband services: Broadband Internet Access Service ("BIAS") and Non-Broadband Internet Access Service ("Non-BIAS") service. BIAS is a mass-market retail service by wire or radio that can transmit data to and receive data from all, or substantially all, Internet endpoints. Non-BIAS services include services offering connectivity to one or a small number of Internet endpoints for a particular device (i.e., heart monitors) or do not provide access to the Internet at all. Non-BIAS (previously known as "Specialized Services") may share capacity with BIAS over the last-mile facilities. If both are offered, they may compete for bandwidth in the last mile.

    Real-time services, such as non-BIAS, including Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) and Internet Protocol (IP) video services, command optimal bandwidth. As non-BIAS traffic is combined with general Internet traffic on our network, broadband customers could experience service delays, although very unlikely, if there is congestion on our network.

    We provide VoIP to our fixed wireless customers. The VoIP traffic uses private RFC 1918 addresses, dedicated paths for VoIP, and Quality of service (QoS) on the routers/switches it touches. The QoS priority is based on the source and destination IP. Where VoIP traffic is combined with best-effort Internet traffic and QoS priority is employed, the network could endure marginal delays if there are instances of bandwidth contention, although very unlikely.

Commercial Terms 

  1.  Pricing

    We offer multiple levels of Internet service, all available with no monthly data cap or additional data charges. Pricing and additional service information are available at https://www.nemont.com/residential/internet/plans/. Prices and packages are subject to change.

  2. Privacy Policies

    We value the privacy of our internet service customers. Like most companies, we collect certain information about our customers and use it to provide our services. We collect information when our customers interact with us, when our customers use our internet service, and when our customers visit our website. This information is used to deliver, provide, and repair our services and establish and maintain customer records and billing accounts. We protect the information we have about our customers. We do not sell, license, or share information that individually identifies our customers with others without consent, except as necessary. Additional details about our Privacy Policy can be found at https://www.nemont.com/privacy-policy/.

  3. Redress Options

    We strive to provide excellent customer service and resolve any issues promptly. If you have questions, complaints, or requests for additional information, please contact us at 1-800-636-6680 or by email at nemont@nemont.coop. We take all such questions and complaints seriously.

In addition to this Policy, customers may also find links to the following on our Website: 

 

(Last Updated - September 1, 2024)
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