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Privacy Policy

MIDSTATE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PRIVACY AND CUSTOMER SECURITY POLICY

Midstate Communications, Inc. is committed to assuring strong and meaningful customer privacy protection in an era of rapidly changing communications technology and applications. Our goal is simple: balance our customers' concerns about privacy with their interest in receiving quality service and useful new products. Midstate is committed to informing customers and giving customers choices about how we use information about them. Above all, this policy is designed to ensure that Midstate will respect a customer's desire for privacy. If you have any questions about our policy, please contact us at internet@midstatesd.net or (605) 778-6221.

This policy applies to our use of "individual customer information," that is, information about specific customers. Information that does not reveal a customer's identity is not individual customer information. For example, "aggregated information," such as the number of customers accessing a Web site on a particular day, does not raise privacy concerns and is not covered by this policy.

Information Collection and Use

Midstate Communications, Inc. obtains and uses individual customer information for business purposes only. We obtain information about our customers that helps to provide them with Midstate services. This information may also be used to protect customers, employees, and property against fraud, theft, or abuse; to conduct industry or consumer surveys, and to maintain good customer relations.

Customers have many opportunities to control how we use their individual information to introduce them to new products and services. For example, Midstate will not call customers who have expressed to us a preference not to be called for marketing purposes. Customers can also have their names removed from direct mail lists that we use. The same will be true for email if Midstate decides to use email to send new product information to its customers.

However, we do use individual customer information internally for our own general marketing and planning purposes — so that we can, for example, develop, test, and market new products and services that meet the needs of our customers. Unless we have your consent, such information is combined into aggregations that do not include individual customer identities. Under certain circumstances, we are required by law to disclose the aggregated information to other companies, but in such cases, customer identities are not included.

Disclosure of Individual Customer Information

Midstate enables customers to control how and if Midstate discloses individual information about them to other persons or entities, except as required by law or to protect the safety of customers, employees, or property. For example, if Midstate is served with a valid legal process for customer identification, we may be required to release this information. In addition, under certain circumstances, we share customer information with other carriers and with law enforcement to prevent and investigate fraud and other unlawful use of communications services.

Subject to legal and safety exceptions, Midstate will share individual customer information only with persons or entities outside the company when the customer has consented, or when we have advised the customer of the opportunity to "opt out" (to choose not to have the information disclosed). We are required to provide directory publishers with listings information — name, address, and phone number — for purposes of publishing and delivering directories. Persons can ask to not be published in directories and/or Directory Assistance. However, if Midstate enters into a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, a customer's personally identifiable information will, in most instances, be transferred as part of the transaction. In addition, we may, where permitted by law, provide information to credit bureaus, or provide information and/or sell receivables to collection agencies, to obtain payment for Midstate billed products and services.

Information Management and Security

All Midstate employees are responsible for safeguarding individual customer communications and information. Midstate requires Midstate personnel to be aware of and protect the privacy of all forms of customer communications — whether they are voice, data or image transmissions — as well as individual customer records. Midstate makes clear that employees who fail to follow this Privacy and Customer Security Policy will face disciplinary action, which can include dismissal. All employees are trained regarding their responsibilities to safeguard customer privacy.

Midstate strives to ensure that the information we have about our customers is accurate, secure, and confidential, and to ensure that our employees comply with our privacy policy. We never tamper with, intrude upon, or disclose the existence or contents of any communication or transmission, except as required by law or the property management of our network. Access to databases containing customer information is limited to employees who need it to perform their jobs — and they follow strict guidelines when handling that information. We use safeguards to increase data accuracy and to identify and authenticate the sources of customer information. We use locks and physical security measures, sign-on and password control procedures, internal auditing techniques, and other types of security as appropriate for the information stored to protect against unauthorized use of terminals and entry into our data systems. Midstate requires that records be safeguarded from loss, theft, unauthorized disclosure, and accidental destruction. In addition, sensitive, confidential, or proprietary records must be protected and maintained in a secure environment. It is our policy to destroy records containing sensitive, confidential, or proprietary information in a secure manner. Hard copy confidential, proprietary, or sensitive documents must be made unreadable before disposition or recycling, and electronic media must be destroyed using methods that prevent access to information stored in that type of media. Just as employees would report stolen property, employees must report missing records and suspicious incidents involving records.

We encourage our employees to be proactive in implementing and enforcing the Midstate Privacy and Customer Security Policy. If employees become aware of practices that raise privacy concerns, they are encouraged to report them to their supervisors.

Compliance with Laws and Public Policy Participation

Midstate complies with all applicable privacy laws and regulations. Customer and policymaker perceptions of privacy have changed over time and will continue to do so. Changes in technology can also alter what is appropriate for protecting privacy. Laws may change accordingly. We will regularly examine and update, if necessary — the Privacy and Customer Security Policy.

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