Pioneer Internet Mass Market Internet Service Policies and Customer Information
The following policies apply to mass market broadband Internet services offered by Pioneer Internet.
Pioneer Internet also offers enterprise level services that can be individually tailored to customer needs.
Information on enterprise services can be obtained by contacting Pioneer Internet Customer Care Center at 620-356-4638.
It is Pioneer Internet’s policy to provide robust and reliable access to the Internet for all of its residential and commercial
mass market end user customers. Because network resources are shared by all users, Pioneer Internet has implemented the
following policies to govern mass market Internet service. These policies are designed to: (i) ensure that shared network
resources are allocated fairly among all users; (ii) allow users and prospective users to understand service policies and any
significant limitations on the service; and (iii) provide a foundation that assures customers that they can rely on consistently
receiving the level and quality of service to which they subscribe. Pioneer Internet does not block access to, nor discriminate
against, any lawful website or Internet application and, with respect to fixed Internet access services, supports the ability of
users to select and attach the equipment of their choice to the network so long as that equipment: (i) is used for a lawful purpose
consistent with Pioneer Internet’s Acceptable Use Policy; and (ii) does not harm the network or degrade network performance for
other users. Customers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the following policies which are deemed part of their Service
Agreement. By using Pioneer Internet’s Internet service, the customer accepts, agrees to be bound by and to strictly adhere to,
these policies. The customer also agrees to be responsible for compliance with these policies by third parties, such as friends,
family members or guests that make use of the customer’s service accounts or equipment to access the network for any purpose,
with or without the permission of the customer.
I. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
II. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
III. NETWORK MANAGEMENT
IV. COMMERCIAL TERMS
V. PRIVACY POLICY
VI. PIONEER INTERNET CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CUSTOMERS AND THIRD PARTIES
VII. PIONEER INTERNET TECHNICAL INFORMATION
I. ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
- General Policy. Pioneer Internet reserves the sole discretion to deny or restrict your service, or immediately to suspend or
terminate your service, if the use of your service by you or anyone using it, in our sole discretion, violates the Service
Agreement or other Pioneer Internet policies, is objectionable or unlawful, interferes with the functioning or use of the Internet
or the Pioneer Internet network by Pioneer Internet or other users, or violates the terms of this Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”).
- Specific Examples of AUP Violations. The following are examples of conduct which may lead to termination of your Service.
Without limiting the general policy in Section 1, it is a violation of the Agreement and this AUP to: (a) access without permission
or right the accounts or computer systems of others, to spoof the URL, DNS or IP addresses of Pioneer Internet or any other entity,
or to penetrate the security measures of Pioneer Internet or any other person's computer system, or to attempt any of the foregoing;
(b) transmit uninvited communications, data or information, or engage in other similar activities, including without limitation,
"spamming", "flaming" or denial of service attacks; (c) intercept, interfere with or redirect email or other transmissions sent by
or to others; (d) introduce viruses, worms, harmful code or Trojan horses on the Internet; (e) post off-topic information on message
boards, chat rooms or social networking sites; (f) engage in conduct that is defamatory, fraudulent, obscene or deceptive; (g) violate
Pioneer Internet's or any third party's copyright, trademark, proprietary or other intellectual property rights; (h) engage in any
conduct harmful to the Pioneer Internet network, the Internet generally or other Internet users; (i) generate excessive amounts of
email or other Internet traffic; (j) use the service to violate any rule, policy or guideline of Pioneer Internet; (k) use the
service in any fashion for the transmission or dissemination of images containing child pornography or in a manner that is obscene,
sexually explicit, cruel or racist in nature or which espouses, promotes or incites bigotry, hatred or racism; or (l) download or use
the Service in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria or in destinations that are otherwise controlled or embargoed under U.S. law,
as modified from time to time by the Departments of Treasury and Commerce.
- Copyright Infringement/Repeat Infringer Policy. Pioneer Internet respects the intellectual property rights of third parties.
Accordingly, you may not store any material or use Pioneer Internet's systems or servers in any manner that constitutes an infringement
of third party intellectual property rights, including under US copyright law. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright
Act (DMCA) and other applicable laws, it is the policy of Pioneer Internet to suspend or terminate, in appropriate circumstances,
the service provided to any subscriber or account holder who is deemed to infringe third party intellectual property rights, including
repeat infringers of copyrights. In addition, Pioneer Internet expressly reserves the right to suspend, terminate or take other
interim action regarding the service of any user or account holder if Pioneer Internet, in its sole judgment, believes that
circumstances relating to an infringement of third party intellectual property rights warrant such action. These policies are in
addition to and do not affect or modify any other rights Pioneer Internet may have under law or contract. If you believe that
copyrighted material has been used in violation of this policy or otherwise been made available on the service in a manner that
is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law, you may contact our Designated Agent as follows:
- Catherine Moyer
Pioneer Communications
PO Box 707, 120 W. Kansas Ave.
Ulysses, KS 67880
620-356-3211 main phone
620-356-7133 direct phone
620-424-4133 fax
catherine@pioncomm.net
- Pioneer Internet may, but is not required to, monitor your compliance, or the compliance of other subscribers, with the terms,
conditions or policies of the Service Agreement and AUP. You acknowledge that Pioneer Internet shall have the right, but not the
obligation, to pre-screen, refuse, move or remove any content available on the service, including but not limited to content that
violates the law or this Agreement.
- Non-resale policy. You may not resell, share, donate, or otherwise distribute your network connection to any other third-party.
Information regarding resale agreements and other Enterprise services may be obtained by contacting the customer call center at
620-356-4638.
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II. SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
Pioneer Internet provides residential and commercial mass market customers with a choice of data plans to meet their needs.
Pioneer Internet also provides enterprise level services that are custom tailored to a specific project and individually priced
based on the needs and criteria established by the Enterprise customer. Pioneer Internet's mass market services
and typical speed ranges
can be found here. These speeds were
calculated based upon testing from an internal site (http://speedtest.pld.com,
running software licensed by Ookla.
While Pioneer Internet provisions its network and equipment to ensure that its customers can enjoy the speeds to which they subscribe,
Internet speeds generally result from a “best effort” service and are dependent on a number of variables, many of which are outside
the control of an Internet Service Provider. Such variables include: the age and processing capability of the user’s terminal device
or computer; the number of applications running simultaneously; the presence of viruses or malware; whether the terminal equipment
is connected to the network by wire or by wireless; the distance the data packets must travel between the user and the website; the
presence of congestion on and technical configuration of any intervening networks; any gating or congestion management schemes
employed by websites to limit download or upload speeds in cases where multiple users are served simultaneously. Pioneer Internet
does not guarantee that a customer will achieve the speeds set forth above at all times. Rather, the foregoing data speeds represent
the best information available to Pioneer Internet of the typical speeds a user can expect to experience under normal
operating conditions.
Speed tests that allow customers to test the upload, download and latency performance of their broadband data services are available
free of charge from a number sources. Generally, these tests are influenced by the same variables that affect Internet speed set forth
above. Accordingly, the speed results would not be expected to match a test of Pioneer Internet’s network conducted under laboratory
speed so each of the tests would be expected to yield different results. Accordingly, each of these tests should be viewed as a
helpful guide rather than as a definitive measurement of performance conditions. Please note, however, that all speed tests use
different methodologies to calculate Internet connection. The following are several sites, unaffiliated with Pioneer Internet, that
provide speed testing:
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III. NETWORK MANAGEMENT
Pioneer Internet utilizes a fully redundant network architecture that is designed to provide users with true broadband speeds and
reliability even during times of peak demand. The network has been constructed to meet projected traffic demands and is fully scalable
to allow for capacity to be added to meet customer needs and to support newly developing and increasingly sophisticated applications
well into the future. However, congestion can occur on any IP network, and, when it does, packets can be delayed or dropped, leading
to service degradation and delays. Because network resources are shared by all users, Pioneer Internet has implemented a traffic
management policy designed to ensure that all users are able to utilize their fair share of network resources during periods of high
demand.
Pioneer Internet employs a protocol agnostic congestion management policy that does not discriminate against particular applications.
Users remain free to access the websites of their choice and run the applications of their choice consistent with the AUP.
Pioneer Internet monitors and logs the bandwidth consumption of each subscriber. In the event of network congestion, equipment failure,
or system maintenance, Pioneer Internet reserves the right to implement traffic-shaping procedures to ensure the availability of
services. These traffic-shaping procedures may include the prioritization of packets, reduction of available bandwidth, or in
emergency conditions, limiting access to the network to public safety communications.
Prioritization may occur when traffic levels exceed 70% of provisioned capacity at any node. System software or administrators may
examine the level of usage at a particular node for the past 60 minutes. If a particular user or group of users are determined
to be the source of high volume of network traffic, the traffic from that user or group is temporarily assigned a lower priority
status or lower download rate. Once traffic levels drop below the levels that triggered the congestion management sequence for a
period of 60 minutes, the traffic of the high capacity users is returned to normal priority status or normal download rate. It
should be noted that when a user’s traffic is assigned a lower priority status, their data packets will not be delayed or dropped
as long the aggregate traffic on their segment does not exceed provisioned capacity for the segment as a whole. However, in cases
where demand exceeds capacity, it is possible that the data traffic of any user could be delayed.
Prioritization of packets can be used for other purposes as well, such as to ensure the reliability of applications that demand real
time or near real time communications such as public safety communications and, in the context of mobile data services, E-911
communications. Generally, provisioned data speeds for Pioneer Internet’s mass market services are sufficient to support such
applications as Voice over IP (VoIP), gaming, web surfing, or most streaming video. However, because Pioneer Internet’s residential,
mass market broadband service generally does not prioritize such traffic, it is possible that certain applications requiring real
time communications may perform at less than optimal levels.
E-Mail services available from Pioneer Internet are provided by NeoNova and Google. Because of the ongoing battle to limit unsolicited
e-mail, these companies enforce additional limitations beyond Pioneer Internet’s standard network management practices. These
limitations include, but are not limited to, restricting the quantity of outgoing messages, scanning of subject line and body
to limit the proliferation of spam, and limiting or removing the user’s ability to send e-mail via any mail server offered by
Pioneer Internet, NeoNova, or Google.
Pioneer Internet does take measures to protect its network and ensure that its AUP is enforced. For example, Pioneer Internet has
deployed measures to prevent spam, viruses, and other malware and to monitor and prevent denial of service attacks. Traffic and
protocol monitoring per connection stream may be implemented to insure the safety and reliability of equipment, users, and services.
Pioneer Internet does not generally interfere with or manage the use of specific protocols or ports. However, in the interests of
network security, the following ports may be blocked or unavailable:
| Port |
Transport |
Protocol |
Inbound/Outbound |
Reason for block |
| 135-139 |
TCP/UDP |
NetBios |
Both |
NetBios services allow file sharing over networks. When improperly configured, they can expose critical system files or
give full file system access (run, delete, copy) to any malicious intruder connected to the network |
| 445 |
TCP |
MS-DS, SMB |
Both |
Security risks; vulnerable to attacks/exploits/worms such as the Sasser and Nimda worms. |
With respect to fixed broadband services, users may generally attach the devices of their choice and run the applications of their
choice, subject to the terms of their service agreement and AUP. Pioneer Internet does not guarantee the suitability of any
broadband service for any specific application. Devices such as routers, laptops, notebooks and tablets are readily available
from third party sources, such as consumer electronics retailers and online sources. If requested. Pioneer Internet will sell
the user a compatible interconnection device (DSL or Cable Modem) at time of installation. Customers who wish to purchase their
own interconnection devices are advised to contact Pioneer Internet’s technical support at 620-356-4638 before purchasing any
third party equipment to ensure compatibility with the network. Pioneer Internet is not responsible for the compatibility,
suitability or functionality of any equipment that is provided by the customer or any third party, and the customer remains
fully responsible for ensuring that any such equipment does not cause any harm to the network or degrade the service of other users.
All customers are fully responsible for securing their equipment, including wireless routers, to prevent unauthorized access to the
network by third parties and will be held fully responsible for the actions of such third parties that gain unauthorized access
to the network through unsecured user equipment.
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IV. COMMERCIAL TERMS
Minimum Terms
- Minimum service term for any Pioneer Internet Service is 30 days.
- Installation, equipment service, wiring, and fees for requested services will appear on the customers’ first Internet bill. Customers can request a detail of any and all charges before or after installation.
- The first Internet bill will include a prorated amount, calculated from date of install based upon a 30-day month.
- Service term is month-to-month Pioneer Internet may change the minimum terms of service, including the price of service by providing at least one billing
cycle’s notice of the change.
- Additional terms and conditions can be found here
Changing or Cancelling Service
- If you cancel your service you must pay for your use of the service up until the date on which you cancelled (minimum 30 days), including charges for installation, customer premise equipment, wiring, or other customer requested services that applied to your account, and applicable taxes.
- If you decide to change to another Pioneer Internet service plan (for example, one with different rates) or to add additional services then Pioneer Internet has the right to charge installation and/or equipment upgrade fees.
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V. PRIVACY POLICY
We collect information about your use of our products and services. Information such as connection records, data usage, websites visited,
application and feature usage, network traffic data, service options you choose, IP and MAC address, and other similar information may
be used for billing purposes, to deliver and maintain products and services, or to help you with service-related issues or questions.
In addition, subject to any legal restrictions that may apply, this information may be used for other purposes such as providing you
with information about product or service enhancements, determining your eligibility for new products and services, and marketing to
you based on your use of your products and services. This information may also be used to: (1) manage and protect our networks, services
and users from fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful uses; and (2) subject to consent practices described in this policy, help us improve our
services, research and develop new products, and offer promotions and other services. This type of information may be aggregated for
business and marketing uses by us or by third parties. If you subscribe to Pioneer Internet access services, we may automatically measure and monitor network performance and the performance
of your Internet connection to improve your, or our, overall service levels. If you contact us for service support, we also may access
information about your computer, wireless device or other device settings to provide customized technical support or to install specific
applications or services that you use or that are necessary to the applications or services you use.
Pioneer Internet will not gather information from your use of our Internet access services to direct customized advertising specifically
to you based on your visits over time and across different non-Pioneer Internet websites, unless we first provide you with notice of our
plan and obtain your affirmative consent.
Please note that Pioneer Internet is not responsible for information, content, applications or services provided by others. Before you
access, use, link to or download a service or application on your computer or wireless device, you should review the associated terms
of service and privacy policy. Personal information you submit in those contexts may be read, collected or used by the service or
application provider and others associated with these forums in a manner different from that described here.
Information Provided to Us by Third Parties
When you purchase products or apply for service with us, we may obtain credit information about you from outside credit reporting
agencies to help us with customer authentication and credit-related decisions.
Pioneer Internet obtains information from outside companies that collect consumer information such as demographic and interest data.
We use this data and combine it with other information we have about you to help us predict customer preferences and to direct
marketing offers that might be more relevant to you.
We may also obtain contact information and other marketing lead information from third parties, and may combine it with information
we have to contact you or direct Pioneer Internet's marketing offers to you.
Cookies:
A cookie is a small data string that is written on your computer hard drive by a web server. (A web server is the computer that hosts
a website and responds to requests received from your computer). Cookies can play an important role in providing a good customer
experience using the web, such as enabling a website to maintain information when a user's web browser requests a series of web pages.
Cookies generally hold information, including data strings that contain a unique user ID which allow websites, including Pioneer
Internet websites, to customize your experiences on the sites and gather information about your navigation of the sites. Information
gathered from cookies also helps us understand how our sites are performing and provides website usage information to support
customizing and improving our sites and their messaging and advertisements. We also use cookies to help verify the identity of a
website user or to recognize you as a registered user and remember your settings and preferences.
You can manage cookies by using features and functions available on most Internet browsers. For example, most browsers will allow
you to choose what cookies can be placed on your computer and to delete or disable cookies. You can find instructions for managing
cookie controls on websites for particular browsers. Please note that disabling cookies may prevent you from using specific features
on our sites and other websites, such as ordering products or services and maintaining an online account.
Cookies associated with your Flash Player may be removed by managing your settings with Adobe by
visiting: http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/security/.
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VI. PIONEER INTERNET CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CUSTOMERS AND THIRD PARTIES
Customers can contact Pioneer Internet through the Customer Call Center at 620-356-4638. Representatives are available 24 hours a day,
7 days a week (Closed on the following holidays, New Years, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day) for
technical support, billing and customer concerns. Call may be reassigned to other customer support representatives, technical support
or management as required.
Pioneer Internet customer support cannot address security questions regarding IP address assignments, customer proprietary
network information, or suspicious network activity. Please contact law enforcement for any suspected illegal activity
VII. PIONEER INTERNET TECHNICAL INFORMATION
- IP Addresses Assigned:
24.224.0.0/19
206.253.32.0/19
209.42.64.0/19
- Domain Name Assigned:
Pld.com
- Autonomous System Number:
10821
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