American Samoa Telecommunications Authority Broadband Disclosures

Consistent with FCC regulations, American Samoa Telecommunications Authority provides this information about our broadband Fiber Internet service. This disclosure must include accurate information regarding ASTCA Fiber Internet network management practices, performance characteristics, and commercial terms of its broadband Internet access services, as required by paragraphs 218 – 223 of the Restoring Internet Freedom Order.

We welcome questions or comments about this information, including any questions about any portions that you do not understand. You may contact American Samoa Telecommunications Authority at 684-699-1121. You may also contact us via email at [email protected] and/or via our Social Media pages.

ASTCA Fiber Network Management Practices

Blocking. We don’t have any practice (other than reasonable network management elsewhere disclosed) that blocks or otherwise prevents end user access to lawful content, applications, service, or non-harmful devices.
Throttling. We don’t have any practice (other than reasonable network management elsewhere disclosed) that degrades or impairs access to lawful Internet traffic on the basis of content, application, service, user, or use of a non-harmful device.
Affiliated Prioritization. We don’t 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, including identification of the affiliate.
Paid Prioritization. We don’t directly or indirectly favor some traffic over other traffic, including through use of techniques such as traffic shaping, prioritization, or resource reservation, in exchange for consideration, monetary or otherwise.
Congestion Management. ASTCA Fiber Internet Service does not impose data limits for individual customers, however ASTCA Fiber Internet Service does reserve the right to monitor traffic patterns and adjust network settings for short periods of time as may be necessary to ensure optimal bandwidth performance for all customers. In the unlikely event that users' aggregate demand exceeds the available capacity of the network and creates acute congestion, ASTCA Fiber Internet service will employ various techniques to ensure that subscribers continue to have a positive experience. In times of acute congestion, ASTCA Fiber Internet service bandwidth will be fairly allocated among subscribers without regard to the subscribers’ online activities or the protocols or applications that the subscribers are using. While acute congestion is occurring, subscribers will still be able to use the lawful content, services, and applications of their choice, but this fair sharing of bandwidth may result in slower download and upload speeds and slower response times from websites and Internet-based applications and services. ASTCA Fiber will not engage in deep packet inspection (where the content of the data packet is inspected beyond its IP, TCP, and UDP headers) or drop specific types of end-user Internet traffic except as described herein to preserve the integrity of the network and protect against negative effects of Internet threats. ASTCA Fiber network does not prevent or impede the use of any other product or service that its subscribers choose to access over their ASTCA Fiber Internet service as long as the use of that product or service does not violate the service terms and conditions. ASTCA Fiber also does not favor or inhibit any applications or classes of applications except as described herein.
Application-Specific Behavior. ASTCA Fiber Internet Services does not blocks or rate-controls specific protocols or protocol ports, modifies protocol fields in ways not prescribed by the protocol standard, or otherwise inhibits or favors certain applications or classes of applications.
Device Attachment Rules. This section addresses any limitations on attaching lawful devices to our network. ASTCA Fiber Internet Service uses Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) technology. ASTCA GPON solutions is comprised of Optical Line Terminal (OLT) and Optical Network Terminals (ONT). OLT are installed in ASTCA’s central offices located around the islands of Tutuila, Aunu’u and Manu’a islands. ONT’s are installed at or near the end user’s location. Passive optical splitters allow several ONT to connect to an OLT thus allowing customers to connect to the network in a shared configuration. We place no general restrictions on lawful devices that a customer may connect to our network, so long as the device is: (i) compatible with our network; and (ii) does not harm our network or other users. ASTCA Fiber Internet service works with most PCs and laptops including Macs, and other Internet compatible devices like game systems and Internet-enabled TVs. If a password-protected wireless router is connected to our broadband Internet service, wireless Internet compatible devices properly connected to the wireless router 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.
Security.ASTCA Fiber Internet Service engages in network management practices intended to address threats to its network and subscribers. ASTCA Fiber Internet Services reserves the right at any time to act as needed to protect the integrity of its network and other parts of the Internet. This may include terminating or suspending service to subscribers who engage in activity that violates the ASTCA Fiber Internet Services Acceptable Use Policy and Terms and Conditions, including but not limited to activity that threatens to undermine the integrity of ASTCA Fiber’s network or services. ASTCA Fiber uses industry standard tools and generally accepted best practices and policies to prevent subscribers and other Internet users from experiencing the negative effects of Internet threats such as viruses, spam, denial of service attacks, and other unwanted or harmful online content and activities. Please notify ASTCA Fiber of any perceived network security or other Internet threats.

ASTCA Fiber Performance Characteristics

Service Description. A general description of the service, including the service technology, expected and actual access speed and latency, and the suitability of the service for real-time applications. ASTCA Fiber Internet service enables a customer to connect an Internet-enabled device through either a wired or wireless connection. Our broadband Internet access service includes fiber optic wiring, and an ONT which provides wired or wireless connection. End-user device can be a wireless router or wired or wireless connection IPv4 or IPv6 capable device. ASTCA Fiber Internet access service enables residential and commercial subscribers to access all lawful content, applications, and services of their choice available on the Internet. No Internet service provider can guarantee a specific speed at all times – the actual speed a customer will experience while using the Internet depends on a variety of conditions. These can include the customer’s computer, the number of active users and applications on the customer’s home network, the customer’s home network configuration, or the performance of the website visited. Service technology. We deliver our broadband Internet over our GPON network using the OLT and ONT elements. The ONT converts the Optical signal to electrical signals for easy conversion to home wired ethernet devices or wireless or Wi-Fi capable devices. This is a shared network, which means that our customers share upstream and downstream bandwidth.
Expected performance. We offer customers a variety of Fiber Internet service levels. We provide a description of the expected maximum transfer speeds associated with each residential service level, available at astca.net.
The speeds we identify for each broadband Internet 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 is another measurement of Internet performance. Latency is a term that refers to the time it takes for information to travel between your computer and your Internet destination. High latency occurs when the time it should normally take for the information to make the trip becomes abnormally long. Latency is typically measured in milliseconds, and generally has no significant impact on typical everyday Internet usage. Most applications, such as email and websites, work well despite average latency. Highly interactive applications, such as multi-player games, do not work well with higher latency. 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. Our location, American Samoa, is far from typical internet destinations and a computer in American Samoa is expected to take at least 110ms to reach US sites.
Customer Speed Test. Customers may test service speeds using commercial speed tests available online, such as speedtest.net.
Suitability of the Service for Real-time Applications. ASTCA Fiber Internet service is suitable for typical real-time applications, including messaging, voice applications, video chat applications, gaming (ASTCA Fiber customers may experience more lag than other players in USA and that can affect player performance), and Internet video. If users or developers have questions about particular real-time applications, please contact ASTCA at 684-699-1121.
Impact of Non-Broadband Internet Access Service Data Services. Non-BIAS Data services offered to end users. We offer several managed or “non-BIAS data” services over our network, sharing network capacity with other high speed Internet services. Managed non-BIAS data services include our Digital Phone voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. Effects of non-BIAS date services on availability and performance of broadband Internet access service. Our provision of non-BIAS data services has no effect on the availability and performance of our broadband Internet access service.

ASTCA Fiber Commercial Terms

Price. Monthly prices for our broadband Internet access services are available on our website at astca.net for business services call 684-699-1121
Usage-based fees/Data allowances. Not applicable.
Fees for early termination. Not applicable.
Fees for additional network services. For dedicated IP addresses call 684-699-1121.
Privacy Policies. We collect and store information from many sources as it relates to providing and maintaining service to our customers. Individually identifiable customer information, including usage data obtained in our role as your broadband Internet access service provider is only used to provide the service, improve your use of the service, manage our network, or as otherwise required or authorized by law. We do not disclose individually identifiable broadband Internet access service customer or use information to third parties except: (i) as necessary to provide our broadband Internet service and to manage our network; or (ii) in response to law enforcement requests, subpoenas, court orders, or as otherwise required or authorized by law. For more information on our additional broadband Internet access subscriber privacy policies, please visit our Subscriber Privacy Policy available at astca.net.
Redress Options.ASTCA Fiber has practices for resolving complaints and questions from consumers, entrepreneurs, and other small businesses. We welcome questions about our Fiber Internet service.
End user complaints and questions. End users with complaints or questions relating to the Fiber Internet Service or these disclosures should contact American Samoa Telecommunications Authority at 684-699-1121.
We will endeavor to answer questions promptly via email or voice.
For written 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.
FCC Notice. If a customer believes that these internet rules are not being followed, the customer may file an informal complaint at the Federal Communications Commission. To submit complaints to the FCC, you can contact the FCC by phone at 1-888-225-5322, online at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov

Updated 09/28/2018