Backup Power Notice

BACKUP POWER NOTICE

Backup Power for Home Phone Services during Power Outages

For many years, your home phone would allow you to stay connected to emergency voice services during a power outage. However, many of today’s advanced home phone services require backup battery power units (BPU’s) and batteries to continue functioning during an electric outage. To avoid a disruption of home voice service during an outage – and to maintain the ability to connect to 911 emergency services -- we at White River Connect (Connect) encourage our phone customers to purchase a BPU for your home phones.

What Your Battery Can – and Can’t – Do for You

BPUs provide twenty-four (24) hour battery backup (in idle mode) for telephone modems which allows you to continue to use your home voice services during a power outage. Without a BPU and batteries or alternate backup power source such as a generator, customers will not be able to make any calls, including emergency calls to 911. The only way to maintain the ability to use your phone is by using some form of backup power. A backup BPU does not provide power to any services other than voice. Home security systems, medical monitoring devices, and other equipment will not run on a home phone backup battery. Cordless telephones also require power and will not function during a power outage even if you have a BPU for your Connect equipment.

Purchase and Replacement Options

If you are concerned about being able to contact 911 emergency services during a power outage, a backup BPU may be a good option for you. You can purchase an indoor power source with battery backup for your telecom applications through many of your local retailers or online.

Expected Backup Power Duration

The compatible 24-hour backup BPUs and batteries are expected to last at least 24 hours on standby power. The battery is intended to enable users to make short, emergency, or other urgent telephone calls. During an extended power outage, use your telephone service sparingly to preserve battery life. The actual length of time your telephone service will be available during a power outage depends on many variables, including, but not limited to: the amount of phone usage when the service is utilizing power from the backup battery; whether the backup battery is properly installed and charged; whether the backup battery has fully recharged after a prior outage; the condition and age of the backup battery; and the amount of prior usage of the battery.

Batteries lose capacity with age. The estimated life for a new battery is 2-3 years; however, actual results will vary depending on the usage patterns, load, frequency of power outages, and environmental conditions, including temperature extremes and fluctuations. Failure to adhere to proper storage and usage conditions will reduce the talk time available to you in an outage and the lifespan of the battery.

Instructions for Proper Care and Use of Your Battery

Please follow the more detailed instructions included with your BPU for proper use, storage, and care of your unit to ensure that it will function as needed during a power outage. If you do not store your battery correctly, it may shorten its useful life. Environmental factors such as temperature can shorten your battery’s useful life. We recommend that you store your battery above 32°F and below 104°F. Some batteries are rechargeable, but they will not last forever and should be replaced when your device starts to make a loud beeping sound, or the LED indicators are flashing. That sound can mean that the battery is depleted and must be replaced, the battery is missing, or low battery. Connect recommends a battery backup with a minimum of 650VA. The typical pricing is between $70 to $95. Two suggestions of a BPU are below:

CyberPower 650VA / 120V / 360W battery backup power supply
ACP 650VA / 120V / 360W battery backup power supply

As a reminder, you are responsible for the monitoring, testing, and management of the BPU and associated batteries. Therefore, it is very important that you familiarize yourself with your backup BPU.

Warranty Information

Refer to the information included with your BPU pertaining to your equipment and what is covered by the manufacturer’s limited warranty.

The information in this notice is provided to educate you on the need for backup power with your current phone service provided by Connect. The purchased backup BPU is provided by a third-party vendor, thus Connect makes no warranties regarding the vendor provided batteries or any other backup solutions you may use in connection with your Connect services. If your batteries or other battery backup products are no longer functioning, Connect is not responsible for any replacement or maintenance. You are responsible for all costs associated with the batteries or any other battery backup product. Additionally, if you are unable to use your phone service during a power outage due to the inoperability of your batteries or any other third-party products, Connect will not provide credits to your service charges during the service interruption.

As set forth in our customer agreements and other terms applicable to your Connect phone and other services, Connect does not guarantee that its services will be uninterrupted or error-free. Additionally, the battery backup products you may use may not be sufficient to maintain Connect’s services, including its phone service, throughout the duration of a given commercial power outage. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CONNECT WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE OR OTHER DAMAGE OR INJURY CAUSED BY THE BACKUP BPUs PROVIDED BATTERIES OR ANY OTHER BACKUP PRODUCTS NOR WILL CONNECT HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR THE FAILURE OF THE BACKUP BPUs PROVIDED BATTERIES OR ANY OTHER BACKUP PRODUCTS TO POWER YOUR PHONE SERVICE OR ANY OTHER CONNECT SERVICE DURING A POWER OUTAGE. FURTHER, CONNECT MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, WITH RESPECT TO THE PRODUCTS SUGGESTED AND SERVICES PROVIDED TO CUSTOMER, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR CONDITIONS OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO AGENT, EMPLOYEE OR REPRESENTATIVE OF CONNECT HAS ANY AUTHORITY TO BIND THE COMPANY TO ANY AFFIRMATION, REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY EXCEPT AN AUTHORIZED OFFICER OF CONNECT PURSUANT TO A SIGNED WRITTEN AGREEMENT.

If you have any questions, please contact Connect at 417-318-2628 or info@whiteriverconnect.com.

The logo and the name reflect the mission of White River Connect and that is to connect our communities with a fast and reliable internet service supported by excellent customer service. White River Connect’s internet services will be a game-changer for the communities we serve. Our team is working hard to build a robust fiber network that will improve the lives of those in our area.