The effective date of this disclosure is January 1, 2021. This is a first-time disclosure.

The purpose of this document is to provide information regarding Network Management Practices, Performance Characteristics, and Commercial Terms as they apply to broadband Internet access services provided by Cogent Communications, Inc. (Cogent) in accordance with the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) transparency rule 47 CFR § 8.1(a). Cogent’s Filer Registration Number (FRN) with the FCC is 0019898303. Cogent provides broadband internet access to its customers over our fiber optic, IP data-only network.

Cogent practices net neutrality. Cogent treats all traffic equally, without discrimination, restriction or interference, and irrespective of the sender and receiver, the content accessed or distributed, the applications or services used or provided, or the terminal equipment used. Customers have the right to access and distribute lawful information and content, use and provide applications and services, and use terminal equipment of their choice, as long as the equipment is technically compatible with the applicable service interface, irrespective of the Customer’s or Cogent’s location or the location, origin or destination of the information, content, application or service.

Network Management Practices

Blocking.
Cogent does not block, slow down, alter, restrict, interfere with, degrade or discriminate between specific content, applications or services, or specific categories thereof, except as necessary, and only for as long as necessary, in order to: (a) comply with applicable law, including with orders by courts or public authorities vested with relevant powers; (b) preserve the integrity and security of the Cogent network, of services provided via the Cogent network, and of the terminal equipment of Customers; (c) prevent impending network congestion and mitigate the effects of exceptional or temporary network congestion, provided that equivalent categories of traffic are treated equally.

Throttling.
Cogent does not throttle traffic, does not block, slow down, alter, restrict, interfere with, degrade or discriminate between specific content, applications or services, or specific categories thereof, except as necessary, and only for as long as necessary, in order to: (a) comply with applicable law, including with orders by courts or public authorities vested with relevant powers; (b) preserve the integrity and security of the Cogent network, of services provided via the Cogent network, and of the terminal equipment of Customers; (c) prevent impending network congestion and mitigate the effects of exceptional or temporary network congestion, provided that equivalent categories of traffic are treated equally.

Affiliated Prioritization.
All Internet access traffic is treated equally on the Cogent network. No traffic is favored, directly or indirectly, over other traffic. Cogent does not utilize any Affiliated Prioritization.

Paid Prioritization.
All Internet access traffic is treated equally on the Cogent network. Cogent does not utilize any Paid Prioritization. Cogent does not prioritize packet transmissions on the basis of the content of the packet, the customer or network that is the source of the packet, or the customer or network that is the recipient of the packet.

Congestion Management.
Where there are network problems such as congestion at interconnection points or fiber cuts, Cogent implements automated reasonable traffic management measures that will go in effect only during such congestion or fiber cuts to minimize harm to the users of our network. Such measures are transparent, non-discriminatory and proportionate, do not monitor the specific content, are only maintained as long as they are necessary and are not based on commercial considerations, but on objectively different technical quality of service requirements of specific categories of traffic. The restrictions of the services may impact the quality of the services and, in particular, may consist of limitation of the speed, volume, latency, bandwidth, jitter, packets transmitted and/or impact other parameters of the services, which may for as long as necessary lead to extend downloading or uploading time and reduce the customer’s possibility to access internet or use content, applications and services over the internet.

Application-Specific Behavior.
Cogent does not apply any application specific behavior.

Device Attachment Rule.
Within the constraints set forth in our Terms of Service Cogent will allow customers to connect any device to our network, provided that said device or its usage does not cause harm to our network. We cannot guarantee the compatibility of any particular device. Otherwise, Cogent does not have device restriction rules.

Security.
Cogent employs firewalls and other protective measures to protect and secure its internal administrative and network management networks. Cogent does not provide end user security and it is the responsibility of the customer to deploy network elements at appropriate network locations to protect their networks. We encourage all of our customers to protect themselves from malicious and unwanted content by a number of means, including a host of commercially available anti-virus, firewall, anti-malware, and other similar products. We also encourage strong password management to prevent unauthorized access to customers’ accounts and equipment. The customer is ultimately responsible for their security while utilizing our network.

Performance Characteristics

Service Description.

Cogent is one of the world's largest Internet Service Providers, delivering high quality Internet, Ethernet and Colocation services to over 128,782 Enterprise and NetCentric customers. Cogent serves over 251 markets in 54 countries across its facilities-based, all-optical IP network. Cogent does not provide any specialized services, only dedicated Internet Access. Cogent’s dedicated Internet access service is dedicated and non-oversubscribed and is based on dedicated symmetrical connectivity, fiber-based Ethernet technology, and reliable service backed by local customer support centers and an industry leading Service Level Agreement (SLA). The specifications of the service are laid out in the applicable product rider. With dedicated Internet access service, a port on the Cogent network is reserved just for each customer to ensure that they always get a dedicated symmetrical connection. Cogent’s network is engineered so that all of customer’s bandwidth is available all of the time, both for download and upload.

COGENT offers FastE, 10GigE and 100GigE speeds to customers in both On-Net and Off-Net locations:
- On-Net Internet Access - In buildings directly connected to Cogent’s fiber network: Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps and 200 Mbps - 1 Gbps) and 10 Gigabit Ethernet (2 Gbps - 10 Gbps)
- Off-Net Internet Access - Cogent connects you to its fiber network via local loop: Fast Ethernet (50 Mbps - 100 Mbps); Gigabit Ethernet (200 Mbps - 1 Gbps) and 10 Gigabit Ethernet (2 Gbps - 10 Gbps)

The minimum, maximum, normally available and advertised download and upload speed of the service ordered is the same and is specified on the order form, i.e. if customer orders 100 Mbps circuit, the minimum, maximum, normally available and advertised speed is 100 Mbps.

Cogent’s network is layer-3-protected and built in a series of rings. In the event of a fiber cut, data is rerouted away from the cut, reaching the customer from the other direction and keeping customer connected. Cogent proactively monitors customer services from Cogent’s Network Operations Centers (located in Washington, D.C. and Herndon, Virginia as well as in Europe in Frankfurt, Germany; Madrid, Spain and Paris, France) and answers support calls quickly. Local support teams and online account management are available 24x7x365.

Our network latency is disclosed on our website under the following link: https://cogentco.com/en/network/performance-tools

Impact of Non-Broadband Internet Access Service Data Services.
Cogent does not offer non-broadband Internet access service data services.

Commercial Terms

Price.

Cogent prices its services on an individual case basis, based on the regional market and the specific needs of the potential customer ;regarding the type of service, bandwidth selection and the initial term ranging from one to five years. The available speed and price packages are disclosed and agreed to at time of contract negotiation. If customer orders burstable services, we also charge usage-based fees. Otherwise, customers pay flat monthly recurring fee for their service. Cogent also charges a one-time installation charge for the service. Cogent’s standard Terms and Conditions include provisions for early termination fees. The standard service early termination fee is 100% of the remaining term monthly recurring charge. Additional charges may apply for related network services such as static IPv4 addresses. Current customers, as well as prospective customers can obtain current pricing information by contacting us via any of the contact methods on our website.

Privacy Policies.

Cogent provides a utility-like service for transit of data. Cogent does not inspect customer traffic.  Cogent does not store, access or manipulate data at any point on our network. We accept the data packets (encrypted or not encrypted) and deliver those packets over the Internet to the designated recipient. Cogent does not provide any end user software, and data security is the responsibility of Customers including the encryption of any data that is pushed on to the Internet at the demarcation point with Cogent’s network. Customer’s privacy is very important to us.  Cogent does not intend to process personal data for the purpose of ensuring net neutrality. To the extent that Cogent’s traffic management measure entails processing of personal data, Cogent shall only process them to the extent that processing is necessary and such processing is carried out in accordance with applicable legislation. Personal information that our customers provide to Cogent is governed by Cogent’s Privacy Policy, which is subject to change from time to time. Cogent’s Privacy Policy is stated on our website under: https://cogentco.com/en/privacy-policy and Cogent California Privacy Policy is available under the following link: https://cogentco.com/en/ccpa.

Redress Options.

For any questions regarding this disclosure you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call our headquarter office at (202)-295-4200. For customer service questions, Cogent's support group is available to you 24 hours a day. Please visit our Support Desk page for full contact information: https://cogentco.com/en/customer-service. Our support engineers will respond and open a trouble ticket to keep track of your inquiry until resolution. You may also elect to visit Cogent's online account management portal eCogent, which allows you to open a ticket with our support team, perform online configuration updates, such as DNS change requests, and update your contact information. If you need to report an abuse complaint, please contact our This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. team (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). For billing questions and issues, you can send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Cogent’s obligations and Customer’s exclusive remedies for a delayed or failed installation of a service or the failure of performance of Cogent’s network or any service are stated in the Cogent Service Level Agreement available at: http://www.cogentco.com/files/docs/network/performance/global_sla.pdf. In order to initiate a claim for service credit, Customer must contact Cogent’s customer service group via email or phone. (Contacts available at http://www.cogentco.com/en/customer-service). Service Credit claim process is detailed in the Service Level Agreement. Cogent Escalation Procedures have been established for notifying upper management of customer service and operational system problems. Cogent Escalation Procedures and escalation contacts are provided to customers in a document called Cogent Customer User Guide, which is provided to Customer upon signature of the contract. Cogent tries to resolve all customer complaints expeditiously and amicably. In the event that a customer is not satisfied with the resolution of potential dispute with Cogent, the customer may bring an action against Cogent in the court of and in accordance with the laws of the state stated in our Terms and Conditions for the service.

Cogent reserves the right to amend these Open Internet Access Disclosures at any time, effective upon posting on the Cogent website.