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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.04.2024 Telecom Board Agenda - Special Session BOARD MEMBERS Andrew Van Fleet Board Chair Theodore Batemon Ritch Kurtenbach Mike Young Amy Wienands City Council Liaison: Rob Nichols September 4, 2024 City Clerk’s Office Waterloo City Hall, 1st Floor 12:00 p.m. 1. Roll call. 2. Approval of the agenda, as presented. 3. Approval of minutes of August 21, 2024, Regular Session, as presented. 4. Public Hearing on Setting Rates. 4.1. Motion to open the public hearing and receive and file notice of hearing. 4.2. Motion to close the public hearing. 4.3. Resolution approving the adoption of additional rates. 5. Resolution approving hiring Tobin Orcutt to the position of NOC Technician at a rate of $26.00 per hour plus benefits, effective September 16, 2024, conditioned on passing a background check. 6. Resolution approving hiring Trey Corkery to the position of NOC Technician, at a rate of $22.00 per hour plus benefits, effective September 16, 2024, conditioned on passing a background check. 7. Motion approving a Master Services Agreement with NeoNova Network Services, LLC, dba NRTC Managed Services and authorizing the General Manager of Telecommunications to execute said document. 8. General update from the General Manager of Telecommunications and consultants. 9. Adjourn. Kelley Felchle Board Secretary WATERLOO Telecommunications Utility Board of Trustees TELECOMMUNICATIONS UTILITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES City Council Chambers August 21, 2024 4:00 p.m. 1. Members present: Van Fleet, Batemon and Mr. Kurtenbach. Mr. Young joined the meeting at 4:35 p.m. Ms. Wienands was absent. 2. Moved by Kurtenbach seconded by Batemon that the agenda, as presented, be approved. Voice vote-Ayes: Three. Motion carried. 3. Moved by Kurtenbach seconded by Batemon that the minutes of June 25, 2024, and July 24, 2024, Regular Session, as presented, be approved. Voice vote-Ayes: Three. Motion carried. 4. Moved by Kurtenbach seconded by Batemon to adopt a resolution approving the payment of bills. Roll Call vote- Ayes: Three. Motion carried. Resolution No. 2024- 002. 5. Confidential information policy training. Tim Whipple, Ahlers and Cooney, provided background on confidentiality concerns specific to a city telecommunication utility and covered open meetings law, trade secrets, confidential records, records requests, and protection of exchanged information. He commented on the importance of designating a records officer and communications officer. The board discussed training points with Mr. Whipple. 6. Moved by Young seconded by Kurtenbach to adopt a resolution approving the Waterloo Fiber Employee Handbook. Roll Call vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Resolution No. 2024-003. Mr. Kurtenbach questioned the amount of vacation hours that can be carried over, and if sick leave accrual is pro-rated for those who have been employed under a year. Eric Lage, General Manager, explained that a maximum of twenty-four hours of vacation time may be carried over to the following calendar year, and confirmed that sick leave accrual is pro-rated. Mr. Van Fleet commented on missing language for items requiring board approval. Kelley Felchle, Board Secretary, confirmed the additional language would be added. 7. Moved by Young seconded by Kurtenbach to adopt a resolution setting date of public hearing as September 4, 2024 at Noon via Zoom, to approve utility rates. Roll Call vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Resolution No. 2024-004. 8. Moved by Kurtenbach seconded by Young to adopt a resolution approving a Real Estate Purchase Agreement with Anthony L. Bradfield for parcels 8912-19-258-001, -002, and -004, situated on Idaho Street, in the amount of $30,000.00. Roll Call vote- Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Resolution No. 2024-005. Eric Lage, General Manager, explained the purpose of the real estate purchase. 9. Moved by Kurtenbach seconded by Young to approve a Tax Rating Service Agreement with Compliance Solutions Inc., for tax compliance in billing software. Voice vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Eric Lage, General Manager, provided an overview of the agreement. Page 2 10. Moved by Young seconded by Kurtenbach to approve a Redundant Internet Agreement with South Front Network. Voice vote -Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Eric Lage, General Manager, provided an overview of items 10 through 12. 11. Moved by Young seconded by Kurtenbach to approve a Redundant Internet Agreement with Hurricane Electric. Voice vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. 12. Moved by Kurtenbach seconded by Young to approve a Redundant Internet Agreement with UPN. Voice vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Eric Lage, General Manager, commented that he approached UPN for a potential discount, and they have offered to provide the first three months free if we signed a 3-year agreement, or five months free with a 5-year agreement. He stated that he believes the 3-year term would be the best choice based on our future needs. 13. Moved by Young seconded by Kurtenbach to approve a Right-of-Way Agreement with the City of Waterloo. Voice vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Mr. Van Fleet provided a recap of the concerns he shared at the previous meeting and his request for legal review. Tim Whipple reviewed the agreement and did not have any significant concerns but did provide additional perspective which was beneficial to read through. He commented that he no longer has any concerns with the agreement. 14. General update from the General Manager of Telecommunications and consultants. Eric Lage, General Manager, provided a construction update and commented that he is working with Magellan on an as-built proposal as well as some additional design changes for areas of the city that were not in the original design. He shared that they went live last Tuesday and Thursday and began signing up customers noting that he anticipates the installs will begin the first part of October. Interviewing continues to fill the Product and Services Manager as well as the Help Desk Technician position. Maggie Burger, Speer Financial, commented that they are working on getting additional working capital debt with a timeline of September or October. She further provided an overview of how a potential drop in interest rates might affect the utility. Mike Regan, Entrust, commented that they are targeting bid issuance for the second shelter, next month. Kelley Felchle, Board Secretary, commented that we would like to set up a working session with the board sometime in September or October to talk about the board’s goals and high-level vision for the organization. Work on the new budget will begin soon and Eric will be working on performance evaluations with staff in the fall. This information can be used to work on ways to drill that vision down into the organization. 15. Adjourn. With no further business before the board, it was moved by Kurtenbach seconded by Young that the meeting be adjourned at 5:15 p.m. Voice vote-Ayes: Four. Motion carried. Kelley Felchle Board Secretary Description Rate Freq Public IP Address 9.95$ Monthly Mesh Unit 9.95$ Monthly Voice Power Supply 9.95$ Monthly Non-Returned Gateway 250.00$ Per occurrence Non-Returned Mesh Unit 200.00$ Per occurrence NSF Fee 35.00$ Per occurrence Late Fee 25.00$ Per occurrence New Rates 07/17/2024 NeoNova Network Services, LLC , dba NRTC Managed Services MASTER SERVICES AGREEMENT Version: 1.0 NRTC Managed Services (877) 636-6682 https://www.nrtc.coop/solutions/managed -services NRTC Managed Services Confidential and Proprietary Waterloo Fiber 1 This M ASTER SERVICES AGREEMENT (this “Agreement ”), dated as of August 29, 2024 (the “Effective Date”), is by and between NeoNova Network Services, LLC, dba NRTC Managed Services a Delaware limited liability company with offices at 1201 Edwards Mill Road, Suite 102, Raleigh, NC 27607 (“NRTC MS ”), and Waterloo Telecommunications Utility dba Waterloo Fiber an Iowa company with offices at 625 Glenwood St., Waterloo, IA 50703 (“Affiliate ”) (each a “Party” and collectively the “Parties”). For and in consideration of the mutual promises contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties agree as follows: 1. Master Agreement. This Agreement is a master agreement. From time to time during the term of this Agreement, NRTC MS and Affiliate may execute Service Orders under this Agreement. Each Service Order (including all terms and conditions set forth therein) shall become part of, and be subject to all terms of, this Agreement. NRTC MS will not be obligated to provide any Services until the execution of an agreed Service Order under this Agreement. 2. Services a. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, NRTC MS shall provide the Services described in agreed Service Orders throughout the applicable Service Order Term (except during Excused Outages). The Services are provided to Affiliate solely for the benefit of Affiliate, and Affiliate agrees not to resell or otherwise provide the Services to others (other than its Subscribers) on a service bureau basis . b. NRTC MS shall notify Affiliate (which notice may be by e- mail) when a Service is ready for Affiliate’s use. Affiliate may conduct any reasonable tests of such Service for three (3) business days after receipt of NRTC MS’s notice to confirm that the Service is functioning properly. Unless Affiliate provides written notice to NRTC MS within such time period that the Service is not functioning properly, Affiliate shall be deemed to have accepted the Service and the term of the Service Order will begin on the date that NRTC MS provided notice to Affiliate that the Service was ready (the “Activation Date ”). In the event that Affiliate notifies NRTC MS within the time period stated above that the Service is not functioning properly and provides supporting details , then NRTC MS shall correct any deficiencies and deliver a new Service activation notice to Affiliate. The procedure described in this paragraph shall be repeated until Affiliate accepts such Service. c. Affiliate shall provide NRTC MS with all reasonably requested information, documentation, assistance, and/or access to Affiliate resources , in a form reasonably specified by NRTC MS and by the dates specified, so that NRTC MS can implement and provide the Services . This assistance may include providing Subscriber and other user information needed to better support users and to process invoices. If there are errors in supplied information or documentation, and such errors materially affect NRTC MS performance hereunder, then any associated costs shall be the responsibility of Affiliate, provided NRTC MS has notified Affiliate before any additional costs are incurred. d. Affiliate acknowledges that NRTC MS may from time to time reasonably modify a Service and add, change, or delete features of a Service, so long as the core functionality of the Service remains in place. NRTC MS will use commercially reasonable efforts to notify Affiliate in advance of any material changes to a Service. e. Services may also be added to this Agreement by means of Affiliate’s selection of Services through an applications portal or similar electronic means made available by NRTC MS (“App Portal ”). The Services term, fees, and additional terms associated with new Services added by Affiliate through an App Portal shall be deemed a Service Order for the purpose of this Agreement. Except to the extent modified by the additional terms associated with such Services, the terms of this Agreement shall apply to all Ser vices added by Affiliate through any App Portal. 3. Term and Renewals a. The term of this Agreement shall commence as of the Effective Date and shall remain in place until terminated as set forth herein. b. Each Service Order will have its own term, which will begin on the Activation Date and will continue for the term specified in such Service Order (“Service Order Term”). The Service Order Term shall automatically extend for one additional one (1) year extension period, unless a Party has delivered to the other Party written notice to the contrary at least one-hundred twenty (120) days prior to the end of the initial Service Order Term. c. In the event Affiliate desires to receive any or all Services on a “month-to-month” basis after termination or cancellation of any Service Order, and if NRTC MS agrees in writing to provide such Services on such basis, then the Service Order shall be deemed to continue in force, provided that a ten percent (10%) increase will be applied to all monthly recurring charges under such Service Order until a new Service Order is fully executed. 4. Fees and Payment Terms a. Affiliate shall pay NRTC MS the fees for Services as set forth in the Service Orders. Charges for additional services required for implementation or use of such Services (beyond the scope of implementation or use as defined in the Service Order) shall be at NRTC MS’s then-current charges. Billing to Affiliate for recurring Service charges will begin on the Service Activation Date and will continue on a monthly basis . All other charges for Services or additional Services may be billed at times designated by NRTC MS. Billing for partial months is prorated based on a calendar month. b. Affiliate shall pay all amounts set forth on an invoice within thirty (30) days after the date of invoice. Past due amounts bear interest at a rate of 1.5% per month (or the highest rate allowed by law, whichever is less) beginning from the date first due until paid in full. Affiliate will provide NRTC MS with credit information regarding Affiliate as requested. c. In the event either Party believes there is an error in any billing under this Agreement or needs additional information to verify billing, it shall have the right, upon reasonable notice, and subject to the confidentiality terms herein, to review the records of the other Party as they relate to Services. Any billing dispute must be declared within sixty (60) days of the original invoice date to be considered valid. d. Affiliate shall at NRTC MS’s direction promptly reimburse NRTC MS or pay directly to the applicable taxing authority all applicable taxes, fees, duties, charges, or regulatory surcharges that arise in any jurisdiction on the provision, sale or use of any Service, Software and/or Equipment, and permitted by applicable law to be passed through to Affiliate, including, without limitation, value added, consumption, sales, use, gross receipts, excise, access, bypass, franchise and other taxes or federal or state universal service charges, except for taxes NRTC Managed Services (877) 636-6682 https://www.nrtc.coop/solutions/managed -services NRTC Managed Services Confidential and Proprietary Waterloo Fiber 2 based on NRTC MS’s net income and taxes assessed on NRTC MS’s property (collectively, “Applicable Taxes ”), and any penalties and interest related to such Applicable Taxes . If Affiliate is exempt from any Applicable Taxes, Affiliate shall provide NRTC MS within fifteen (15) days after the Effective Date, an appropriate exemption certificate related to such Applicable Tax. NRTC MS will give prospective effect to any valid exemption certificate to the extent that it applies to any Service and shall cooperate at Affiliate’s sole expense in pursuing any claim for refund of Applicable Taxes paid by Affiliate. 5. Affiliate Premises; NRTC MS Equipment a. Affiliate shall allow NRTC MS access to the Affiliate Premises to the extent reasonably necessary for the provision of Services and for the installation, inspection and maintenance of NRTC MS Equipment. NRTC MS shall notify Affiliate at least two (2) business days in advance of any regularly scheduled maintenance of NRTC MS Equipment that will require access to the Affiliate Premises. Affiliate will ensure that the Affiliate Premises are secure and safe from hazards to NRTC MS Equipment and to NRTC MS’s personnel. NRTC MS shall comply with Affiliate’s reasonable site and security regulations that are communicated to NRTC MS in advance. b. Affiliate shall provide at its own expense power, heating/cooling, dust control, security, and other environmental considerations as necessary to meet all applicable environmental requirements, including but not limited to the environmental considerations defined by the applicable manufacturer(s) of NRTC MS Equipment. NRTC MS shall not be responsible for any malfunction attributable to Affiliate’s nonconformity with environmental specifications. If installation or operation of any NRTC MS Equipment at the Affiliate Premises requires construction of additional facilities, or modifications to existing facilities, Affiliate shall be responsible for such costs. c. Affiliate agrees that it shall use NRTC MS Equipment located on Affiliate’s Premises or otherwise provided to Affiliate solely as specified in the pertinent documentation and for the purpose of receiving the Services. Affiliate further agrees that it shall have no right, title, or interest to the NRTC MS Equipment, and shall not allow or cause any lien or encumbrance to be placed on the NRTC MS Equipment. Affiliate shall at all times treat the NRTC MS Equipment as a bailee, and return such NRTC MS Equipment to NRTC MS when required hereunder, in the same condition as it was when first delivered to Affiliate by NRTC MS, less reasonable wear and tear. d. NRTC MS will provide and maintain the NRTC MS Equipment located on Affiliate’s Premises in good working order. Affiliate shall not, and shall not permit others to, without the prior written consent of NRTC MS, rearrange, disconnect, move, copy, remove, attempt to repair, or otherwise tamper with any NRTC MS Equipment, In no event will NRTC MS be liable to Affiliate or any other person for interruption of Services or for any other loss, cost or damage caused or related to improper use or maintenance of the NRTC MS Equipment by Affiliate or third parties provided access to the NRTC MS Equipment by Affiliate. e. NRTC MS will be responsible for the delivery, configuration, testing, and commissioning of NRTC MS Equipment designated for use in the Affiliate’s Premises. The term “commissioning” means placing the NRTC MS Equipment in working condition with active connectivity to NRTC MS’s network(s)/data center(s) (if applicable) and the Internet (if applicable), in conformance with the specifications set forth or referenced in an applicable Service Order. f. If Affiliate elects not to renew the term of a Service Order it shall notify NRTC MS in writing no less than one-hundred twenty (120) days prior to termination to arrange for removal of NRTC MS Equipment from the Affiliate’s Premises at the end of the term. Such removal by NRTC MS shall be at no additional charge; provided, however, reasonable shipping charges related to returning such NRTC MS Equipment to NRTC MS shall be paid by Affiliate. g. In the event that returned NRTC MS Equipment is damaged beyond reasonable wear and tear, Affiliate shall within thirty (30) days after NRTC MS’s request either repair the equipment to full working condition or replace the equipment at Affiliate’s expense. 6. Intellectual Property; Confidentiality a. Neither Party shall use any trademarks, service marks, logos, or trade names (the “Marks ”) of the other Party, and Affiliate shall not use any Marks of any supplier or subcontractor to NRTC MS, in any manner whatsoever, including without limitation in any advertising, marketing materials, website content, or brochures, other than as set forth in Section 16 below, without the other Party’s prior written consent. Each Party agrees that it shall only use any Marks of the other Party in strict compliance with the other Party’s instructions. b. In conjunction with providing the Services to Affiliate, NRTC MS may deliver or make available certain software to Affiliate (“Software”), including software owned by NRTC MS (“NRTC MS Software ”) and software owned by third parties (“Third Party Software ”). Where Third Party Software is made available directly to Affiliate or its Subscribers (for example, via a “click- wrap” agreement contained in the Third Party Software), Affiliate or its Subscribers will agree to the terms of such license to use such Thi rd Party Software and, in the event of a conflict between Affiliate’s obligations hereunder and Affiliate’s obligations under such Third Party Software license, the terms of the Third Party Software license will control, but only with respect to such Third Party Software. c. Upon Affiliate's payment to NRTC MS of the fees for the Software and/or the related Services, Affiliate shall be granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicens able, terminable license to execute the object code version of such Software only in conjunction with Affiliate's use of the equipment, if any, with respect to which such Software was furnished and only in conjunction with receipt of the Services. Affiliate shall be granted no title or ownership rights to the Software, which rights shall remain with NRTC MS or its suppliers. d. Affiliate agrees to: (i) keep the Software free and clear of all claims liens, encumbrances and rights; (ii) not provide or make the Software available to any person except to its employees on a ‘need to know’ basis; (iii) not reproduce, copy, or modify the Software in whole or in part except as authorized in writing by NRTC MS; and (iv) not attempt to decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, or in any other manner discover the source code for the Software. e. Affiliate agrees that it may use IP addresses supplied by NRTC MS solely in connection with its receipt of the Services and solely during the Service Order Term, and that it otherwise has no rights in or to such IP addresses. f. NRTC MS warrants that the NRTC MS Software shall perform in substantial conformity with the documentation therefor supplied by NRTC MS. With respect to Third Party Software, where permissible, NRTC MS will pass through to Affiliate any warranties therefore made to NRTC MS by the third party proprietor of such Software. Affiliate must maintain the installed Software revision to within at least two previous Software version releases. NRTC MS’s sole obligation and NRTC Managed Services (877) 636-6682 https://www.nrtc.coop/solutions/managed -services NRTC Managed Services Confidential and Proprietary Waterloo Fiber 3 Affiliate's sole and exclusive remedy under this warranty is limited to the prompt repair or replacement, at NRTC MS’s option, of the nonconforming Software. g. A Party receiving Confidential Information (defined below) from the other Party agrees: (i) to hold the disclosing Party’s Confidenti al Information in confidence, (ii ) to protect the disclosing Party ’s Confidential Information in the same manner that it protects its own similar confidential information (but in no event using less than reasonable care); and (iii ) except as expressly authorized by this Agreement, not to, directly or indirectly, use, disclose, copy, transfer or allow access to the disclosing Party ’s Confidential Information. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a receiving Party may disclose Confidential Information as required by law; in such event, the receiving Party shall inform the other Party prior to any such required disclosure to allow the other Party to seek a protective order or other limitations on such disclosure. Confidential Information means any non-public information or data that is disclosed by one Party to the other Party pursuant to this Agreement, regardless of whether it has been disclosed in verbal, written or other form. The Confidential Information of NRTC MS includes the Software, as well as the structure, organization, design, algorithms, templates, data models, logic flow, and screen displays associated with the Software. Confidential Information does not include information that the receiving Party can show: (a) is or becomes publicly known or available without breach of this Agreement; (b) is received by a receiving Party from a third Party without breach of any obligation of confidentiality; or (c) was previously known by the receiving Party as shown by its written records. h. Each Party acknowledges and agrees that any violation of Section 6(g) may cause the disclosing Party irreparable injury for which the disclosing Party would have no adequate remedy at law, and that the disclosing Party shall be entitled to preliminary and other injunctive relief against the receiving Party for any such violation. Such injunctive relief shall be in addition to, and not in limitation of, all other remedies or rights that disclosing Party shall have at law or in equity. i. Upon termination or expiration of this Agreement, the receiving Party will return to the disclosing Party or destroy all Confidential Information delivered or disclosed to the receiving Party (including, with respect to Affiliate as receiving Party , the Software), together with all copies in existence thereof at any time made by the receiving Party . 7. Excused Performance a. If either Party’s performance of any obligation hereunder other than an obligation to pay money is delayed or prevented by reasons outside its reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of God or of the public enemy; governmental requirements; changes in governmental laws or regulations; earthquakes; fires; floods or other catastrophes; epidemics or quarantines; freight embargoes; w ar; terrorism; civil strife; insurrection; riot; materials shortages; or labor stoppages (each, a “Force Majeure Event”), then the affected Party shall promptly notify the other Party of the Force Majeure Event and shall be excused from performance to the extent delayed or prevented; provided, however, that the affected Party shall take all reasonable steps to avoid or remove such cause of nonperformance and shall continue to perform to the extent reasonably possible. Any time for performance set forth in this Agreement shall be extended for a period equal to the period of any delay due to a Force Majeure Event. b. NRTC MS’s performance or non-performance hereunder shall be excused to the extent that any wrongful or negligent act or omission of Affiliate or its employees and agents, including, but not limited to, any breach of this Agreement or Affiliate’s failure to provide access to the Affiliate’s Premises, affects NRTC MS’s performance and/or the availability of Services. 8. Suspension of Services. NRTC MS may suspend Services in whole or in part without liability if: (a) Affiliate fails to pay a past due balance for charges within ten (10) calendar days after Affiliate’s receipt of written notice from NRTC MS of planned suspension of Services; (b) Affiliate’s use of Services materially exceeds Affiliate’s credit limit and/or then-current deposit balance; or (c) any content transmitted over NRTC MS Equipment violates or is alleged to violate any applicable laws or rights of any party (including without limitation, laws relating to copyright, trade secrets, privacy, libel, obscenity, and harassment) or is otherwise reasonably unacceptable to NRTC MS. 9. Termination a. NRTC MS may, by sending written notice of termination to Affiliate, terminate a Service Order (in whole or in part) or this Agreement, in the event that: (i) any amounts due by Affiliate remain unpaid sixty (60) days after the date such amounts were first due; (i i) Affiliate (A) suspends its business operations; (B) becomes insolvent, (C) makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or (D) files (or has filed against it) a petition in bankruptcy which petition is not dismissed within sixty (60) days thereafter; (iii) NRTC MS is ordered, by a federal, state or local governmental entity, regulatory body or court of competent jurisdiction, to cease providing Services, whether generally or specifically to Affiliate; or (iv) changes in applicable law, regulation, decision, rule or order materially increase the costs to NRTC MS of, or materially affect other terms of NRTC MS’s delivery of Services, and NRTC MS and Affiliate are unable to reach agreement respecting new rates, terms and/or conditions regarding such Services within ninety (90) days after NRTC MS’s delivery of written notice requesting renegotiation thereof. b. Either Party may, by sending written notice of termination, terminate this Agreement or affected Service Order(s), in the event the other Party has committed a material breach of this Agreement, provided that such non-breaching Party has first delivered written notice of such breach to the other Party, and the breaching Party has not cured such breach within thirty (30) calendar days of such notice. c. At the end of any Service Order Term, and at Affiliate's request, NRTC MS shall download or otherwise make available to Affiliate all content owned by Affiliate, except for IP addresses and any portion of the Software, in a manner and format reasonably designated by Affiliate, or make any other disposition of such content reasonably requested by Affiliate, including, but not limited to, destruction or transfer of such content to a third party designated in writing by Affiliate. These transfer Services will be billed at the then-current NRTC MS standard rates. d. Sections 5(g), 6(a), 6(b), 6(d), 6(g), 6(h), 6(i), 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, and 18, and all other provisions of this Agreement that by their express terms or nature survive the termination or expiration of this Agreement, shall survive termination or expiration of this Agreement. e. Upon termination or expiration of this Agreement or any Service Order for any reason whatsoever, all payment obligations of Affiliate under this Agreement with respect to such terminated Services (including any obligations to pay termination charges in connection therewith), shall accrue through the date of such termination and shall become immediately due and payable. f. Upon termination of any Service Order or this Agreement by NRTC MS pursuant to Section 9(a) or 9(b), or by Affiliate for any reason other than pursuant to Section 9(b), NRTC MS may, NRTC Managed Services (877) 636-6682 https://www.nrtc.coop/solutions/managed -services NRTC Managed Services Confidential and Proprietary Waterloo Fiber 4 in addition to all other remedies that may be available to NRTC MS at law or in equity, collect from Affiliate, and Affiliate shall pay, a termination charge equal to the sum of the minimum monthly charges for terminated Services for each full calendar month remaining in each then-current Service Order Term in the absence of such termination. If Affiliate provides written notice to NRTC MS not to extend the Service Order Term of any Service Order for the remaining term of any contract or arrangement with a third party entered into by NRTC MS with Affiliate’s knowledge concerning any telecommunications circuit or other third-party equipment or service used by NRTC MS in performing or delivering any Service pursuant to such Service Order or used by Affiliate or Affiliate’s Subscribers to access any Service provided by NRTC MS pursuant to such Service Order, then Affiliate shall reimburse NRTC MS promptly upon request for all termination charges incurred by NRTC MS as a result of NRTC MS’s termination of the contract or arrangement concerning such telecommunications circuit or other third-party equipment or service. g. Either Party may terminate this Agreement if there are no active Service Orders in place upon forty -five (45) days written notice to the other Party. 10. Indemnification a. Each Party shall indemnify and hold harmless t he other Party, its agents and employees against all loss, damage and expense (including without limitation reasonable legal fees) which the indemnified Party may sustain or become liable for on account of injury to or death of persons, or on account of damage to tangible property, resulting from performance under this Agreement by the indemnifying Party or its employees, agents or subcontractors, to the extent such loss or damage is due to gross negligence or willful misconduct of the indemnifying Party or its employees, agents or subcontractors or any employee of any of them. b. Except as set forth elsewhere in this Agr eement, Affiliate shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless NRTC MS, its agents, employees and suppliers, from and against any and all costs, losses, harm or damages (including without limitation reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to Affiliate’s use of the Services, including claims resulting from use of th e Services by Affiliate’s Subscribers and/or the content of any communications transmitted via the Services. c. NRTC MS shall defend, indemnify, and hol d harmless Affiliate, its agents and employees, from and against any action, suit or proceeding brought against Affiliate which alleges that the Services infringes any copyright, patent or other intellectual property right, and NRTC MS shall pay damages awarded against Affiliate (including court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees) in connection therewith. The foregoing indemnity shall not apply if the alleged infringement is attributable to: (i) content supplied by Affiliate or any Subscriber; (ii) any combination of the Services with any products or services not provided by NRTC MS, or (iii) modification of the Services by any person or entity other than NRTC MS. THIS SECTION STATES NRTC MS’S SOLE LIABILITY TO AFFILIAT E WITH RESPECT TO INFRINGEMENT OF ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. d. The indemnified Party shall promptly advise the indemnifying Party of any such claim or action and shall cooperate with the indemnifying Party, at the indemnifying Party’s expense, in the defense or settlement of such claim or action, provided that the indemnifying Party shall have sole control thereof. The indemnified Party may participate in the defense of any such claim or action at its own expense. 11. Limitation of Liability.Except for indemnification obligations under this Agreement, the aggregate liability of each Party to the other Party for any losses or damage arising out of or in connection with this Agreement or the use of any Services , Software or NRTC MS Equipment, including without limitation any cause of action sounding in contract, tort or strict liability, shall be limited to actual, direct damages incurred but in no event shall exceed an amount equal to the charges paid to NRTC MS by Affiliate for the Services whi ch gave rise to the liability during the three (3) calendar month(s) immediately preceding the calendar month in which the act or omission giving rise to such liability occurred; provided that the foregoing shall not limit Affiliate’s obligation to pay any amounts due under this Agreement. Neither Party shall be liable for any incidental, indirect, consequential, punitive, or special damages of any kind, nor shall either Party be liable for any lost profits or lost sales. 12. Representations and Warranties a. Mutual. Each Party represents and warrants that it has full authority to enter into this Agreement, and that the execution and performance of this Agreement by it does not and will not violate or breach any third-party agreement, law or order to which it is subj ect. b. By Affiliate. Affiliate represents and warrants that Affiliate will use the Services in compliance with all laws and regulations including, without limitation, prohibition on the use of telecommunications facilities to transmit illegal, obscene, threatening, libelous, harassing, other offensive messages, or otherwise unlawful material. c. By NRTC MS.NRTC MS represents and warrants that the Services will be provided: (a) in a professional and workmanlike manner, using qualified personnel; and (b) in complian ce with all laws and regulations . d. THE WARRANTIES SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT CONSTITUTE THE ONLY WARRANTIES PROVIDED BY NRTC MS , AND NRTC MS MAKES NO OTHER REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES TO AFFILIATE. NRTC MS HEREBY EXCLUDES AND DISCLAIMS, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ALL WARRANTIES NOT EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF PERFORMANCE, COURSE OF DEALING, OR FROM USAGE OF THE TRADE. AFFILIATE ACKNOWLEDGES NRTC MS DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES OR SOFTWARE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR -FREE. 13. Assignment.Neither Party may assign this Agreement in whole or in part, including without limitation by operation of law or by merger in which such Party does not survive, except with the written consent of the other Party (which consent shall not be unreasonably wi thheld, delayed or conditioned), and any attempt to do so shall be null and void, except that either Party may assign this Agreement without the consent of the other Party to a company that acquires all or substantially all of its assets or the assets associated with the division of the Party being sold, or to an entity that (directly or indirectly) controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Party without the other Party’s consent, where “control” means the direct or indirect ownership of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting equity. No third party shall have any interest herein or be deemed a third party beneficiary hereof and nothing contained herein shall be construed to create any rights enforceable by any third party. NRTC Managed Services (877) 636-6682 https://www.nrtc.coop/solutions/managed -services NRTC Managed Services Confidential and Proprietary Waterloo Fiber 5 14. Notices. Unless otherwise specified herein, any notice required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in writing and delivered by one of the following means: (i) by personal delivery; (ii) by prepaid, overnight delivery or courier service; or (iii) by the U.S. Postal Service, first class, certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid. Any such notice shall be effective five (5) days after the day it is mailed or upon receipt as evidenced by the U.S. Postal Service return receipt card, whi chever is earlier, and upon receipt if given or confirmed via hand delivery or overnight courier service. Notices shall be addressed as set forth on page 1 of this Agreement or to such other addresses of which the Parties hereto have been advised by notice pursuant to this Section. Notices to NRTC MS shall be to the attention of the President. Notices to Affiliate shall be to the attention of Eric Lage, General Manager. 15. Disputes a. In the event of a disagreement between the Parties relating to this Agreement or its performance, or any asserted breach thereof, the Parties shall attempt to negotiate a mutually satisfactory resolution within forty -five (45) days. Should such negotiations fail, either Party may submit the disagreement for binding arbitration before a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules and Expedited Procedures of the American Arbitration Association. The arbitration will take place in Linn County, Iowa. The arbitrator shall be required to apply the laws of the state of Iowa, without regard to its conflicts of laws principles, and shall not be authorized to vary or ignore the provisions of this Agreement. The arbitrator shall provide detailed findings of facts and conclusions of law as part of any award. The award of the arbitrator shall be enforceable in any court of law having jurisdiction. Nothing in the foregoing shall prevent either Party from bringing a claim for temporary injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction. b. The Parties irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the state and federal courts of the state of Iowa. c. The prevailing Party in any dispute under this Agreement shall be entitled to recover its attorney’s fees and arbitration/court costs. 16. Marketing a. During the term of this Agreement, NRTC MS shall have the right, but not the obligation, to use the name and logos of Affiliate on NRTC MS websites and other marketing documents, for the purpose of identifying Affiliate as a business partner, provided that the form of use of any Affiliate logo is approved in advance by Affiliate, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed. NRTC MS agrees that all use of Affiliate trademarks or logos shall inure to the benefit of Affiliate. b. Affiliate further agrees to provide NRTC MS with the following customer reference information for possible use on NRTC MS’s websites and on other promotional material in conjunction with Affiliate’s name: (i) a brief marketing summary of Affiliate’s products and services that are based in whole or in part on NRTC MS’s Services, and (ii) a quotation on how NRTC MS’s Services contributed to the success of Affiliate’s products and services. c. Upon mutual agreement, NRTC MS and Affiliate shall issue a joint press release announcing the relationship contemplated by this Agreement with mutual endorsements for Affiliate’s products and services and NRTC MS’s Services. 17. General a. This Agreement is non-exclusive and shall not be construed to require NRTC MS to refrain from providing any Services in competition with Affiliate, or to require Affiliate to refrain from acquiring any services from a competitor of NRTC MS (unless expressly agreed in a Services Order). b. NRTC MS may in its sole discretion subcontract the performance of any or all Services to subcontractors of NRTC MS’s choosing as it deems appropriate, but such subcontracting shall not relieve NRTC MS of any responsibility or obligation under this Agreement. c. This Agreement and the rights and obligations of the Parties hereto hereunder shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of Iowa without regard to Iowa’s conflict of law principles. The parties agree that the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods shall not apply to this Agreement. d. Any provision of this Agreement held or determined by a court or other legal authority of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall be deemed separate, distinct and independent, and shall be ineffective only to the extent of such holding or determination without (i) invalidating the remaining provisions of this Agreement in that jurisdiction or (ii) affecting the legality, validity or enforceability of such provision in any other jurisdiction. e. The Parties are independent contractors, and n othing in this Agreement shall be construed as creating a j oint venture or partnership between the Parties. Neither Party has or shall have any authority to bind, assume any obligation for or incur any debt on behalf of the other Party in any respect whatsoever. f. This Agreement may not be modified or amended or any rights of a Party to it waived except in writing signed by duly authorized representatives of the Parties hereto. g. Section headings are inserted for convenience only and shall not be used in any way to construe the terms of this Agreement. h. This Agreement (including all Service Orders and all terms and conditions set forth therein and referenced or attached thereto) constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to its subject matter and supersedes all prior understandings and agreements. No agent, employee or representative of NRTC MS has any authority to bind NRTC MS to any representation or warranty concerning the Services except as stated in this Agreement. In the event of a conflict or inconsistency between any Service Order and the remaining terms of this Agreement, the terms of the applicable Service Order shall control. 18. Definitions. When used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the definitions set forth below. Other terms may be defined elsewhere in this Agreement. a. Affiliate’s Premises means the location or locations occupied by Affiliate or Subscribers to which Services are provided or delivered or at which NRTC MS Equipment can be located. b. Subscribers means, individually and collectively, any and all third parties who gain access to or utilize or are authorized to utilize Services provided to Affiliate hereunder. c. Excused Outage means any outage, interruption, unavailability, delay in provision of, or other degradation of Service (i) caused by scheduled maintenance events of which Affiliate receives at least two (2) days prior notice, (ii) caused by actions or inactions of Affili ate or Affiliate's Subscribers, or failure of Affiliate-provided power or equipment, or (iii) under circumstances in which NRTC MS’s performance is excused as provided in Section 7 or Section 8. d. NRTC MS Equipment means property owned or leased by NRTC MS or any of its suppliers and used to deliver Services, NRTC Managed Services (877) 636-6682 https://www.nrtc.coop/solutions/managed -services NRTC Managed Services Confidential and Proprietary Waterloo Fiber 6 including without limitation terminal and other equipment, wires, lines, ports, routers, switches, cabinets, racks, and servers. e. Services mean the services set forth in an agreed Service Order. An individual Services offering may be referred to as a “Service ” in this Agreement. f. Service Order means a document executed or otherwise agreed by both parties which sets forth, at a minimum: (a) the Services that are the subject of such Service Order, and (b) fees applicable to such Services . I N W ITNESS W HEREOF , the Parties hereto have caused this Master Services Agreement to be executed by their respective duly authorized representatives as of the Effective Date. Waterloo Telecommunications Utility dba Waterloo Fiber (“Affiliate”) By: _____________________________________ Name: _______________________________________ Title: _______________________________________ Date Signed: __________________________________ NeoNova Network Services, LLC , dba NRTC Managed Services (“NRTC MS”) By : __________________________________________ Name: ____________________________________________ Title: ____________________________________________ Date Signed: ______________________________________