Network Management. No throttling. No paid lanes.

Overview

Alabama Lightwave, Inc. (“Alabama Lightwave,” “Lightwave,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates fixed wireless broadband service for residential and business customers in Bibb, Chilton, and Choctaw counties, Alabama. This Network Management Policy describes the practices we use to operate that network. It is published in accordance with the FCC’s Open Internet rules (47 C.F.R. § 8) and in keeping with our own commitments to the people we serve.

If anything on this page conflicts with the more specific terms of an individual service agreement, the service agreement governs.

Network Architecture

Lightwave runs a wireless network. Towers across our footprint connect customer addresses by radio, with a mix of fiber and licensed wireless backhaul carrying traffic from the towers to our core network and out to the broader internet. The mix is intentional: rural Alabama is not kind to single-medium networks, and a tower that loses one upstream path keeps running on the other.

We peer at the Montgomery Internet Exchange (MGMIX) so that traffic between our customers and other Alabama destinations stays inside the state. Every tower runs on battery backup. Critical sites carry generators on top of the battery, and we are continuously upgrading additional sites to the same standard. More on our reliability practices.

Service Plans

Lightwave offers residential, business, essential-worker discount, and Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) plans. Every plan, residential or business, includes:

• Unlimited monthly data
• No data caps or overage charges
• Month-to-month service with no contract
• No early-termination fee

DIA customers are sized to their operation. Their bandwidth, SLA, and after-hours response terms are governed by their individual service agreement.

Speed representations

Advertised plan speeds represent typical throughput under normal network conditions. Actual speeds at any given moment depend on network demand, distance and line of sight from the serving tower, signal quality, customer equipment, the number of devices on the customer’s local network, and conditions at the destination server. Plans labeled with both a typical and a maximum speed (for example, “300 Mbps typical, up to 1 Gbps”) describe a tier that delivers the typical speed on standard wireless backhaul and the higher rate on microcell connections with line of sight to the tower.

Congestion Management

The internet is a shared resource and so is our wireless network. We manage congestion using these practices:

• Per-subscriber rate limiting. Each customer’s connection is shaped to the speed tier on their plan. No customer can claim more of a tower’s capacity than their plan allows.
• Fair queuing during congestion. When a tower sector reaches capacity, available bandwidth is divided fairly across active subscribers on that sector. We use LibreQOS, an open-source traffic-shaping platform, which applies a fair-queue scheduler (CAKE) on every tower. The same algorithm is applied to every customer on a given sector regardless of identity, application, or destination.
• Dynamic sector allocation. Our radios support adjustable downlink/uplink ratios per sector. We adjust ratios based on real demand on a sector to keep performance reasonable for everyone connected to it.
• Peak periods. Congestion is more likely on weekday evenings (roughly 5pm to 11pm) and on weekend afternoons. Individual speeds during these periods can be lower than off-peak speeds.

We do not single out individual customers, applications, content sources, or destinations for slowdowns. Congestion management is applied uniformly across all customers on a congested sector.

Blocking

Lightwave does not block lawful content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices. We reserve the right to block:

• Traffic identified as part of an active denial-of-service attack or other security incident
• Traffic to or from known malware command-and-control infrastructure
• Traffic that violates applicable law

Throttling

Lightwave does not throttle or degrade lawful internet traffic based on content, application, service, sender, recipient, or device. Within each customer’s plan tier, all traffic is treated equally.

Paid Prioritization

Lightwave does not engage in paid prioritization. We do not accept compensation from any third party in exchange for prioritizing their traffic over other traffic on our network.

Application-Specific Behavior

Lightwave does not use deep packet inspection (DPI) or other techniques to identify, track, or treat specific applications differently. We do not favor or degrade any particular application, protocol, or service.

VPNs, encrypted DNS, video conferencing, gaming traffic, and any other lawful application all share the network on equal terms.

Security

Lightwave operates standard network-security controls:

• Continuous monitoring for and mitigation of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against the network and against individual customers
• Blocking of known malicious traffic sources where necessary to protect network integrity
• Firewall and access controls on our core network infrastructure
• Full support for customer-initiated VPNs, encrypted communications, and self-managed firewalls

Dedicated Internet Access

DIA connections provide dedicated bandwidth that is not shared with other customers on the same sector. DIA service comes with a written Service Level Agreement covering uptime targets, response times, and after-hours truckrolls. DIA traffic-management practices are described in the individual customer’s DIA agreement.

Resale Prohibition

Residential, essential-worker, and standard business plans are sold for use at the subscriber’s address. Subscribers may not resell, redistribute, or share their Lightwave connection with parties outside that premises, including but not limited to:

• Operating as an internet service provider, paid or free
• Offering paid or free WiFi access to non-household members beyond what a household or business customarily provides to guests
• Extending the service to adjacent properties

DIA customers are not subject to this restriction; usage of DIA service is governed by the customer’s individual DIA agreement.

Violation of the resale prohibition may result in suspension or termination of service.

Prohibited Uses

Customers may not use Lightwave’s service for any unlawful purpose, including but not limited to:

• Transmitting, distributing, or storing material that violates applicable law
• Unauthorized access to other computers, networks, or systems
• Distribution of malware, viruses, or other malicious software
• Sending unsolicited bulk email
• Activity that materially interferes with other customers’ use of the network
• Operating servers or services in violation of the resale prohibition above

Legal Compliance and Lawful Process

Lightwave complies with applicable federal and state law.

CALEA. We maintain the capability to assist law enforcement with lawfully authorized electronic surveillance in accordance with the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act.

Child sexual abuse material. We report any known or suspected CSAM to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in accordance with 18 U.S.C. § 2258A, and we cooperate fully with law enforcement investigations relating to CSAM.

Subpoenas and court orders. We will disclose customer information in response to valid subpoenas, court orders, search warrants, and other legal process, and we may retain network logs and connection records as necessary to comply with that process.

DMCA. We comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and will act on properly submitted takedown notices and repeat-infringer complaints.

Network Performance Disclosure

The following table reflects typical performance per plan. Actual results vary by address, equipment, and conditions. “Up to” speeds are available on microcell connections with line of sight to the tower.

Latency figures are typical round-trip times under normal conditions and reflect performance to nearby internet destinations. Latency to distant destinations is dominated by the wider internet beyond our network.

Commercial Terms

The commercial terms attached to Lightwave plans are documented on our Plans page and in the Terms of Service. In summary:

• All-in monthly pricing. Taxes, regulatory recovery, and 911 fees are included. No teaser pricing.
• No contract, no early-termination fee.
• Standard install is free.
• The discount available to verified essential workers is described on our Essential Workers page.

Changes to This Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Network Management Policy. Material changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use of Lightwave service after a material change is posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact

Questions, concerns, or complaints about our network-management practices can be sent to:

Alabama Lightwave, Inc.
38 Court Square West
Centreville, AL 35042
Phone: (205) 809-9051
Email: info@alabamalightwave.com

Customers who believe their concerns have not been addressed may file an informal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission at https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov.