Public Interest Network Services Inc. and
Public Interest Telecom Inc.

Public Interest Service Level Agreement

Public Interest Network Services tries to maintain a 100% uptime guarantee for all of the products and services we provide. Unfortunately, the real world intervenes and does its best to throw one monkey wrench after another into our network, which can affect our customers in various ways. This document describes the Service Level Agreement we maintain with our customers while dodging flying monkey wrenches. We've written it in (relatively) plain English - but our guiding principal is that a service should be working for the purpose that you ordered it. As always, if you have specific questions or concerns you may call us at +1-212-479-1700 or email us at support@pins.net. We are happy to answer all questions that you may have regarding our services.

1. Service-Level Goals

   PINS strives to ensure that the service we provide is usable, as intended, for delivery of voice, data, email, and other forms of electronic information on a normal, day-to-day basis. Where points of failure exist, we have put in multiple circuits and hardware to ensure any failure does not significantly compromise normal service function. Where single points of failure cannot be engineered around, we have buttressed the equipment with spares or automatic fail-over to the best of our ability. We continually evaluate new hardware and software that will make our service offering more reliable and more powerful.

   In some cases, our service is delivered over third-party carriers (e.g. Verizon, AT&T, or Qwest). In those cases, we pass on the best possible SLA from the underlying carrier, and engineer around the potential for failure with a variety of different techniques (see below).

   For dedicated circuit customers (T1, T3, or higher speeds), we open a ticket with the underlying carrier immediately and escalate a ticket continuously until the problem is repaired. The mean time to repair a T1 is between four and eight hours, depending on the nature of the failure in the field and the ability of the underlying vendor to dispatch and repair the broken facilities.

   For DSL and similar mid-grade services, we also open tickets immediately, however, the underlying SLA with DSL carriers allows up to 48 hours to pass before repair is initiated, and grants limited options to escalate or otherwise shorten the repair interval.

   For data service within our network, we maintain a 100% packet transmission rate and a timely delivery of packets. For voice service within our network, we try to maintain a 100% normal call completion rate from our switch, maximize call completion rate through the public voice network (including reactively and proactively routing calls among different carriers), and performing no non-carrier-class voice compression. For voice over packet service, and data circuits that are provisioned as voice over packet, we maintain a 100% packet transmission rate, a real-time, jitter-free, delivery of packets, and a voice quality equal to or greater than the level at which it was received.

   For collocation customers, we maintain reliable short-run and long-run power, network and voice backup. We expect our collocation facilities to be up 100% of the time, and consider any unplanned outage, even of just a few seconds, to be a major event. We take whatever steps are necessary to repair all facilities problems and get the service functional in as few minutes as possible.

   Technical Details: Voice over packet data is prioritized over regular voice traffic. Such packet data will have a maximum added latency of 30ms within our switch and network, a maximum jitter of 20ms, and a maximum packet loss of 0.01%. Regular data will have an average added latency of no more than 30ms, and an average added jitter of no more than 30ms. At no time will our average utilization on our voice and data interconnects exceed 50%; such an event triggers us to order additional PSTN and Internet trunking.

2. Service Outages

   On the occasion when a service cannot be delivered at all due to some facilities failure, we consider that a service outage. (Please see degraded service below.) When such an outage happens, we either proactively (should it be a service we can monitor) or reactively (when a customer alerts us that an outage is occurring) take immediate action, including, but not limited to:

   1. Opening a ticket with an underlying carrier;
   2. Enabling rerouting of voice or data via whatever facilities are running;
   3. Setting up voicemail boxes, temporary web pages, or other indicators that a service outage is occurring;
   4. Otherwise taking steps to limit the impact to our customers as much as possible.

   Service outages take priority over all other provisioning and troubleshooting. This means that engineering and networking resources are directed to repair the outage as soon as possible, and we escalate with our carriers as quickly as we are allowed to.

   In the very rare event of a major outage (affecting a significant number of customers) we may be unable to call back and open up tickets immediately. We do, however:

   1. Direct all resources to addressing the problem as soon as possible;
   2. Notify (via web page, email list notification, or voicemail) all customers that an outage is occurring;
   3. Take lists and proactively follow up with all affected customers after the outage has been resolved.
3. Degraded Service

   As part of its network planning obligations, PINS helps customers plan appropriate levels of backup for their voice and data services. When a failure occurs, these backups can reduce the overall impact to the service being delivered. If a service is affected, but can still fulfill its primary function (at some reduced level), then the service is considered to be in a degraded condition. For example, a T1 failure may cause a site to be on a VoDSL backup, with lower data rates and fewer voice channels.

   Unless other full service outages are occurring, degraded services get a similar level of attention as service outages.

4. Chronic Service Problems

   Unfortunately, from time to time facilities or software issues may lead to long-term problems that cannot be immediately resolved. The customer may request (or PINS may proactively decide) to have a given service placed into a chronics status. This means that PINS and the carrier(s) involved put a particular emphasis on repairing or replacing the affected services on a permanent basis. The permanent repair may take time to engineer, particularly if it requires a major facilities modification, such as a software upgrade, fiber run, or other long-term engineering. PINS will do its best to shield the customer from any additional expense or exposure to such work. A customer may, however, at its discretion, seek to cancel service after 30 days if:

   1. Such chronic problems cannot be remedied;
   2. PINS is unable to show meaningful progress;
   3. Customer can provision alternative services from another carrier that PINS cannot also provide for similar cost.

   PINS works diligently to get problems in a chronic condition resolved, and appreciate the understanding and patience of end-users unfortunate enough to be in this position.

5. Planned Work

   From time to time, PINS will need to make service-affecting changes to its network. These may cause service outages or degraded service, depending on the nature of the work. These service outages are planned to occur during our normal maintenance windows of 12:00 AM to 6:00 AM EST, and are announced between three and five days prior to the planned date. We may also, if necessary, perform emergency network changes when the risk from a major outage is significant enough that we feel it prudent to make a service-affecting change outside of the maintenance window.

   PINS makes every effort to accommodate the needs of our user community and will reschedule or otherwise adjust planned maintenance to minimize the impact to particular customers.

6. Credits and Cancellations for Service Violations

   Should a service outage occur, customers may request a service credit from their service manager. Telecommunications tariffs limit the liability of PINS for any damages in excess of the value of the services provided, however, PINS may credit back, at its discretion and in consultation with the affected customer, some or all of the monthly service fee for services affected during an outage lasting less than four hours.

   Should an event be due to an Act of God, terrorism, civil unrest, cataclysm, or other similar circumstances completely beyond our control and ability to recover from, service credit may not be available.

   Barring this level of disaster, though, PINS will provide the following minimum credits for service outages and degraded services:

   1. 25% of monthly fees for a service outage of more than four hours, or a degraded condition for more than twenty-four hours;
   2. 50% of monthly fees for a service outage of more than eight hours, or a degraded condition for more than 48 hours;
   3. 100% of monthly fees for any service outage of more than 24 hours, or a degraded condition for more than 96 hours.

   
   
   

   PINS Service Level Agreement - 1.05