CHARITON VALLEY COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
Transparency Statement and Network Management Policy
Chariton Valley Communications Corporation (“Chariton Valley”) commits to the provision of
open and non‐ discriminatory use of our Broadband Internet Access Service (the “Service” or
“BIAS”) to our customers and commits to use reasonable network management practices to
ensure an open Internet. Subject to reasonable network management practices in providing the
Service, Chariton Valley does not engage in the following:
1. Blocking: Chariton Valley does not intentionally block access to legal content,
applications, services, or non-harmful devices.
2. Throttling: Chariton Valley does not impair or degrade lawful Internet traffic based on
content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices.
3. Paid or Affiliated Prioritization: Chariton Valley does not favor some lawful Internet
traffic over other lawful traffic in exchange for consideration of any kind – in other
words, no “fast lanes.” Chariton Valley also will not prioritize content and services of our
affiliates.
Subject to reasonable network management, Chariton Valley will not unreasonably interfere with
or unreasonably disadvantage end users’ ability to select, access, and use broadband Internet
access service or the lawful Internet content, applications, services, or devices of their choice, or
edge providers’ ability to make lawful content, applications, services, or devices available to end
users.
Network Security and Congestion Management
Like other Internet service providers, Chariton Valley manages our network to protect the
security, integrity, and reliability of the network, such as to address spam, viruses, and malicious
content. Chariton Valley uses generally accepted technical measures to provide acceptable
service levels to all customers, such as application‐neutral bandwidth allocation, as well as
measures to address service attacks, illegal content, and other harmful activities to protect
network integrity and reliability. Chariton Valley does not modify the protocols of these industry
standard tools. We also comply with applicable law, including laws for the protection of children
online and the protection of intellectual property.
Although the Chariton Valley fixed BIAS network and the Chariton Valley SmartTown
network provide substantial capacity, they are limited, and at times of high use, the network may
experience congestion. For fixed BIAS and SmartTown service, Chariton Valley reserves the
right to prioritize traffic based on real time and non‐real time applications during heavy
congestion periods based on accepted technical measures. Chariton Valley reserves the right to
set speed thresholds on the amount of data you as a customer can upload and download within
stated time periods. If you exceed these thresholds, Chariton Valley will temporarily limit the
speed at which you can send and receive data over the Chariton Valley access networks.
Chariton Valley may use other traffic management and prioritization tools to help ensure
equitable access to the Chariton Valley networks for all customers.
For our fixed BIAS and SmartTown services, Chariton Valley monitors customer usage to
efficiently manage the performance of the networks to ensure a sustainable quality broadband
service is provided. Peak network usage is between 4pm and 11pm. During peak usage times,
priority is given to select subscribers who have purchased dedicated and reserved connections to
the Internet. If congestion occurs during peak usage times, bandwidth available to subscribers
that have not purchased dedicated and reserved connections may be uniformly limited or
reduced, and without regard to application. Bandwidth available to any customer using the
SmartTown network may be limited at any time because the network primarily utilizes excess
capacity from customers routers, which excess capacity may vary based on location and
customer use.
Congestion due to malfunctioning hardware and/or software will be remedied as quickly as
network engineers can diagnose and identify the offending hardware/software.
Congestion due to malice will be remedied using any technique available, including protocol‐
aware filtering and rate‐limiting, to control and limit the offending source. Chariton Valley may
seek criminal charges against those who inflict network malice. Chariton Valley may also
attempt to recover costs incurred from network malice.
Network Performance
Chariton Valley provides fixed BIAS to our customers over broadband fiber. Chariton Valley
provides SmartTown service to customers via wireless connections utilizing excess capacity
from the routers of certain customers and, at Chariton Valley’s sole discretion, Chariton Valley
routers placed in public areas.
Customers can expect their fixed BIAS to deliver between 80% – 90% of the advertised speeds
with a latency under 100 milliseconds. Chariton Valley conducts internal testing of our fixed
BIAS and has confirmed actual speed and latency within this expectation. Advertised speeds for
fixed BIAS can be found on Chariton Valley’s website. Customers can test their actual speeds
using the speed test found on Chariton Valley’s website accessible at https://www.speedtest.net/.
Customers should expect actual speeds to vary depending on the time of day and network
congestion. BIAS speeds and latency measures associated with Chariton Valley’s fiber networks
are generally the most reliable and least affected by network congestion.
The speeds and latency of Chariton Valley’s SmartTown wireless network may vary greatly
based on a number of factors including: the availability of excess capacity, number of users,
network congestion, distance from router, weather, foliage, and customer device capabilities.
Chariton Valley will provide wireless Internet access on the SmartTown network on an as
available, best available, and does not guarantee or claim to provide any speed or latency
standards for Internet access on the SmartTown network.
Speed/Pricing
Please input your address into the following website link for fixed BIAS services available at
your location and pricing information, including monthly prices, usage‐based fees, and fees for
early termination or additional network services: Internet Plans. SmartTown Internet access is
already included in the rates and fees for fixed BIAS customers who are eligible for the
SmartTown service. SmartTown rates for the occasional public, non-subscriber’s use of the
SmartTown network are provided to such customers at the time of use and may vary based on
location and time.
Contact Information
For questions, concerns, or requests for additional information about our network management
practices or this Transparency Statement, please contact Chariton Valley customer service at
660.395-9000.
Updated July 2024
