Sierra Tel Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 20, 2026

Please read this privacy policy carefully before using our websites or services.

Sierra Telephone Company, Inc., together with its affiliates (“Sierra Tel,” “we,” “our,” or “us”), respects the privacy of our subscribers, website visitors, and other individuals who interact with us. We believe that when you subscribe to our services or visit our websites, you should understand what personal information we collect and store, how we use it, when we disclose it, and how we protect it. We do not sell your personal information.

This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) explains Sierra Tel’s practices with respect to personal information collected through (a) our voice, internet, and related communications services, including our online account portal, hosted email, and voicemail (collectively, the “Services”), and (b) our websites located at www.sierratel.com, selfcare.sierratel.com, webmail.sti.net, and any other websites or online properties that link to this Policy (collectively, the “Sites”). It also explains the choices available to you and the privacy rights you may have under applicable law.

This Policy applies only to the Services and the Sites. It does not apply to products, services, or websites offered by other companies, including websites you may reach through links on our Sites, even where those companies are our business partners. This Policy also does not apply to personal information we collect from our employees, job applicants, and contractors in that capacity. That information is governed by our CCPA Disclosure for Employees and Applicants.

As discussed in this Policy, we use cookies and other similar technologies and may disclose data to service providers that support our Sites and Services.

1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT
   We collect personal information in the ordinary course of providing the Services, operating the Sites, and running our business. The categories below describe the information we may collect depending on how you interact with us.
   1. Information You Provide to Us
      Account and Contact Information. When you apply for, purchase, or use the Services, or contact us, you may provide your name, service and billing addresses, email address, telephone numbers, date of birth, the last four digits of your Social Security Number for California Lifeline Service, employer information, and similar identifiers. We do not currently collect full Social Security numbers, although our systems may retain full Social Security numbers collected in prior years. When you start service, we assign you a customer account number and, for internet service, a username and connection password, which we associate with your account.
      Identity Information. To verify your identity, we may collect government-issued identification numbers such as a driver’s license number, employer information, and other information, including a Federal Tax Identification Number for identity verification.
      Payment and Transaction Information. We collect information about your purchases, payment history, payment method, order numbers, and the Services you receive. If you pay by credit or debit card, your card number is collected and processed by a third-party payment processor through a secure hosted payment form or payment terminal. We do not store your full card number on our systems, although we retain the name and billing address on the card, the card’s expiration date, a payment token issued by our processor, and the last four digits of the card number.
      Communications with Us. We collect the content of email messages and responses, chats, letters, support tickets, and, where permitted by law and disclosed at the time, recordings of telephone calls with our customer service representatives.
      Information About Others. We collect information you provide to us about another person, such as an authorized user on your account or the name and contact number of your landlord if you rent your home. You represent that you have the right to provide this information about another person to us.
      Job Application Information. If you apply for a position posted on our Sites, we collect applicant information as described in our CCPA Disclosure for Employees and Applicants.
   2. Information Collected Through Your Use of the Services
      Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI). When you use our voice or messaging services, we collect information about your usage, including the numbers you call or text and that call or text you, the date, time, duration, and destination of communications, the types and quantity of Services you subscribe to, and your billing information. This information is protected under federal law and more information is provided below.
      Content You Store With Us. If you use our voicemail service or an email account hosted by us, we store the content of those messages and associated metadata (such as sender, recipient, date, and size) so that you can retrieve them, until you delete them or your account is closed. We also retain log and connection data for our email servers, including authentication logs, as needed to operate and secure those systems. Except as necessary to provide the Service, to comply with law, or to protect the security of our network, we do not review the content of your voicemail or email.
      Network and Equipment Information. To operate, secure, and manage our network, we collect log information from our email, DNS, web, and authentication servers; session and connection records; IP address assignments; and information about the modems, routers, and other equipment connected to our network, including device identifiers, configuration data, and diagnostics. For customers using a Sierra Tel-provided modem or gateway, we also collect the MAC addresses and Wi-Fi signal strength of devices connected to that equipment, which we use to support and troubleshoot your service.
      Location Information. We collect information about the location of your service address and the location associated with your telephone service through our network, as needed to route calls, deliver emergency services (including 911), and comply with law. We also collect general geolocation information from your IP address.
   3. Information Collected Automatically on Our Sites
      Site Traffic Data. Our web servers automatically receive certain information when you visit the Sites, such as your IP address, domain name, browser type, plug-ins, and settings, operating system, device type, platform, time zone, language, referring website, the pages you view, the links you click, the date and time of your visit, navigation paths, and how long you spend on each page. When you log in to our online account portal, we also collect the name and email address associated with your account, your account activity, and application performance and error logs.
      Cookies and Similar Technologies. We and our service providers use cookies and similar technologies on the Sites. We use these technologies in the following categories: (1) strictly necessary cookies that allow the Sites to function, verify that a visitor is not an automated bot, and help us detect fraud and secure our network; and (2) performance and analytics cookies that help us understand how visitors use the Sites. We do not use advertising or targeting cookies, pixel tags, or web beacons. Most browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies. If you disable cookies, some features of the Sites may not function as intended.
      Analytics. We use third-party analytics and security tools, specifically Google Analytics and Cloudflare Turnstile, to measure the performance of the Sites and to protect them against automated abuse. These providers may collect your IP address, browser and device information, and information about your interactions with the Sites on our behalf. You can learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites, and you can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. Cloudflare’s privacy policy is available at www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy.
   4. Information from Other Sources
      We may receive information about you from other sources and combine it with the information we hold. For example, we may obtain updated address information from shipping carriers, postal services, and similar sources, information from authorized agents or retailers through whom you purchase our Services, identity verification data from specialized providers, and marketing information from marketing partners and publishers to help us better serve you and inform you about products and services that may interest you.
   5. Sensitive Personal Information
      Certain information described above may be considered “sensitive personal information” under applicable state privacy laws, including Federal Tax Identification Numbers, driver’s license numbers, account credentials, the last four digits of Social Security numbers, and full Social Security numbers retained from prior years. We collect and use sensitive personal information only as reasonably necessary to provide the Services you request, verify your identity, prevent fraud, secure our network, and comply with law. We do not use sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you, and we do not sell or share it.
2. HOW WE USE PERSONAL INFORMATION
   We use personal information for the following business and commercial purposes:
   • To provide the Services. Establishing and managing your account, provisioning and maintaining service, routing communications, billing and collecting payment, and responding to customer service and technical support requests.
   • To verify identity and prevent fraud. Confirming your identity when you open an account or contact us, verifying eligibility for government programs such as the California Lifeline Program, and detecting and investigating fraudulent, deceptive, malicious, unauthorized, or unlawful activity.
   • To operate and secure our network and Sites. Diagnosing technical problems, managing capacity, monitoring for security incidents, and protecting the integrity of our systems and the safety of our customers.
   • To communicate with you. Sending service notices, billing statements, policy updates, outage notifications, and responses to your inquiries.
   • To market our products and services. Informing you about products, services, promotions, and features offered by us or our affiliates that may interest you, subject to your right to opt out as described in Section 7. We do not use your personal information to market third-parties’ products or services, and we do not deliver targeted advertising.
   • To analyze and improve the Services and Sites. Understanding how customers use our Services, measuring engagement, conducting research, customizing and personalizing the Services, and developing new products and features.
   • To comply with law and enforce our rights. Meeting legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations; responding to lawful requests; and enforcing our terms of service and other agreements.
   • For other purposes disclosed to you or with your consent.
   We may also use personal information to create de-identified or aggregated information that can no longer reasonably be linked to you. We maintain and use de-identified information only in de-identified form and do not attempt to re-identify it, except as permitted by law to test the effectiveness of our de-identification process. We do not use personal information to train artificial intelligence or machine learning models, and we do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing.
3. HOW WE DISCLOSE PERSONAL INFORMATION
   We do not sell your personal information, we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, and we do not disclose your personal information to third parties for those third parties’ direct marketing purposes. We may disclose personal information as described below:
   Affiliates. We may share personal information with our parent, subsidiaries, and affiliated companies for the purposes described in this Policy, subject to the CPNI rules described below.
   Service Providers and Authorized Agents. We engage vendors, contractors, and agents to perform services on our behalf, including billing and payment processing, installation and field services, customer support, data hosting and storage, network monitoring and security, fraud prevention, compliance, and website analytics. We provide these parties only the information they need to perform their functions, and we contractually require them to protect your information and to use it only as we direct and as permitted by law.
   Consumer Reporting Agencies. We may report account and payment information to consumer reporting agencies and collection agencies as permitted by law.
   Emergency Services. When you dial 911, we provide your registered or detected location and callback information to public safety answering points and emergency responders as required by law. As permitted by law, we may also disclose the location of a device on our network without the user’s consent to the user’s legal guardian or immediate family member, to providers that assist in delivering emergency services, or to a government entity when we reasonably believe an emergency involving immediate danger of death or serious physical injury requires disclosure without delay.
   Government Programs. If you apply for or participate in the California Lifeline program, we disclose information needed to verify your eligibility and enrollment, including the last four digits of your Social Security number, to the Universal Service Administrative Company, the Federal Communications Commission, applicable state agencies, and their designees, as required by program rules.
   Legal Process and Protection of Rights. We may disclose personal information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to (1) comply with applicable law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or other legal process, including lawful requests from law enforcement and national security authorities; (2) cooperate with civil, criminal, or regulatory investigations; (3) enforce our agreements and policies; (4) protect the rights, property, or safety of Sierra Tel, our customers, or the public; or (5) obtain legal advice. Where we are legally compelled to disclose information that directly identifies you, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you unless we are prohibited from doing so by law, court order, or the terms of the request. We review each request for validity and object to requests we believe were not properly issued.
   Business Transfers. Personal information may be disclosed or transferred as part of any merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, sale of company assets, or transition of service to another provider, as well as in the event of insolvency, bankruptcy, or receivership, in which case personal information may be transferred as a business asset. Any successor will be bound by this Policy with respect to information collected under it unless and until the Policy is amended as described below.
   De-identified and Aggregate Information. We may disclose de-identified or aggregate information that does not identify you to third parties for any lawful purpose.
   With Your Consent. We may disclose personal information for any other purpose with your consent or at your direction.
4. LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES
   Our Sites may contain links to websites operated by others, including community webcams and third-party resources. This Policy does not apply to those websites, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices or content. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any website you visit.
5. CUSTOMER PROPRIETARY NETWORK INFORMATION (CPNI)
   Under federal law, you have a right, and we have a duty, to protect the confidentiality of certain information about your telecommunications services, including the services you purchase, how you use them, the numbers you call and receive calls from, and your billing information. This information is known as Customer Proprietary Network Information, or “CPNI.”
   We use CPNI to provide, bill for, and support the Services you subscribe to, to protect our network and customers from fraud and abuse, and as otherwise permitted or required by law. We do not disclose CPNI to third parties other than our affiliates and authorized agents acting on our behalf, except as required by law or with your approval. Before we use or disclose your CPNI to market services outside the category of services you already purchase from us, we will notify you of your rights under federal law, describe how we intend to use your CPNI, and give you an opportunity to opt out. You may exercise or change your CPNI choices at any time by contacting us as described below. Your choice will remain in effect until you tell us otherwise and will not affect the Services you receive.
   We authenticate customers before disclosing call detail or other CPNI over the telephone, online, or in our business offices, and we will notify you of certain account changes, such as a change to your password or address of record, as required by law.
6. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY
   Our Sites and Services are intended for a general audience and are not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 without verifiable parental consent. We recognize that adults frequently purchase our Services for household use, including use by minors, without our knowledge; information collected from such accounts appears to us as the personal information of the adult subscriber and is treated as such under this Policy.
   If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 18 without parental consent, we will take steps to delete it or to obtain parental consent before any further collection, use, or disclosure. Parents and guardians may exercise applicable privacy rights described in Section 8 on behalf of their minor children, including the rights to know, delete, opt out, and not be discriminated against. We do not sell or share the personal information of any consumer, including consumers under 18 years of age. If you believe we have collected information from a child in violation of this Policy, please contact us as described below.
7. YOUR MARKETING CHOICESN
   Marketing Communications. You may opt out of receiving marketing emails by using the unsubscribe link in any marketing message, and you may opt out of marketing calls, text messages, or postal mail by contacting us as described in Section 2. We will continue to send you transactional and service-related communications, such as bills, outage notices, and account alerts, which are not subject to opt-out.
   Cookies and Online Tracking. You may manage cookies through your browser settings. Because we do not use advertising or targeting cookies, no separate advertising opt-out is required for our Sites. You may opt out with the third party providers we use, as described above.
   Global Privacy Control. Our Sites recognize the Global Privacy Control (“GPC”) browser signal. Although we do not sell or share personal information, when we detect a GPC signal from your browser, we record it as an opt-out preference for that browser.
8. YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS
   Depending on your state of residence, you may have some or all of the following rights with respect to your personal information, subject to exceptions provided by law:
   • Right to Know and Access. To confirm whether we process your personal information and to obtain the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected, the categories of sources, the purposes of collection, the categories of third parties to whom we disclose it, and, where applicable, a copy in a portable format.
   • Right to Correct. To request that we correct inaccurate personal information.
   • Right to Delete. To request that we delete personal information we collected from you.
   • Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information. To limit our use of sensitive personal information to purposes permitted by law.
   • Right to Non-Discrimination. Not to receive discriminatory treatment for exercising your privacy rights.
   • Right to Appeal. To appeal our decision if we decline to act on your request.
   Because we do not sell or share personal information, or use it for automated decision making, targeted advertising or profiling, we do not provide opt-out rights for those activities.
9. HOW TO EXERCISE YOUR RIGHTS
   You or your authorized agent may submit a request by calling us toll-free at 1-877-658-4611 or emailing us at privacy@sierratel.net, or writing to us at Sierra Tel, Attention: Custodian of Records, P.O. Box 219, Oakhurst, CA 93644.
   To protect your account, we will verify your identity before acting on a request. We may compare the information you provide with our records and ask you to confirm account details. If you use an authorized agent, we may require the agent to provide your signed written authorization and may ask you to verify your identity directly with us. We will acknowledge your request within 10 days and respond to a verifiable request within 45 days. We may extend the response period by up to 45 additional days when reasonably necessary and will notify you of any extension. We do not charge a fee to process a request unless it is excessive, repetitive, or manifestly unfounded. In that case, we may charge a reasonable fee or decline to act and explain our decision.
   If we decline to take action on your request, you may appeal by contacting us at the address above within a reasonable time, and no later than 90 days, after our decision. If your appeal is denied, you may contact your state attorney general or other applicable regulator.
10. SECURITY AND RETENTION
    We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards designed to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, and alteration. Access to personal information within our company is limited to employees who need it to perform their jobs, customer account information is password-protected, and payment card numbers are handled through a tokenized system operated by our payment processor so that full card numbers are not stored on our systems. No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for notifying us promptly of any unauthorized use of your account.
    Personal information may be stored and processed in the United States and in other locations where our service providers operate, subject to applicable law and appropriate safeguards. We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to provide the Services, satisfy legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting requirements, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
11. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
    We may revise this Policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the revised Policy on the Sites and update the “Last Updated” date. If we make material changes to how we collect, use, or disclose personal information, we will provide notice through the Sites, by email to the address associated with your account, by a notice on or with your bill, or by other means reasonably designed to reach you before the changes take effect. This Policy may not be modified by you except in a writing signed by both you and an authorized representative of Sierra Tel.
12. CONTACT US
    If you have questions, comments, or complaints about this Policy or our privacy practices, or if you wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:
    • Toll-free: 1-877-658-4611 (or 559-683-4611 / 209-966-3636)
    • Email: privacy@sierratel.net
    • Mail: Sierra Tel, Attention: Custodian of Records, P.O. Box 219, Oakhurst, CA 93644

CALIFORNIA PRIVACY NOTICE

This California Privacy Notice (“Notice”) applies to California residents and supplements our Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect. We collect information that identifies, relates to, describes, references, is capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular consumer or device (“personal information”). In particular, we collect:

Sale, Sharing, and Targeted Advertising. We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, and we have not done so in the preceding twelve months. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of consumers under 18 years of age.

Financial Incentives. We may offer promotions, discounts, or loyalty programs that involve the collection of personal information. Any such program will be described in written terms, will be reasonably related to the value of the information, and will require your opt-in consent, which you may revoke at any time.

California “Shine the Light.” California residents may request information about our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year. We do not disclose personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes.

Nevada Residents. We do not sell covered information as defined under Nevada law. Nevada residents may nonetheless submit a request to opt out of any future sale by contacting us with the subject line “Nevada Do Not Sell Request.”

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