To prevent the spread of junk email, commonly known as ''spam,'' Sparklight will proactively disable email accounts that are sending an unusually high number of messages in a short period of time, or that have sent messages that have been reported by one or more recipients as spam.

Per our Acceptable Use Policy, ''…prohibited uses and activities include, but are not limited to, using the Services, customer-provided equipment, or Sparklight-provided equipment, either individually or in combination with one another, to … send very large numbers of copies of the same or substantially similar messages, empty messages, or messages which contain no substantive content, or send very large messages or files that disrupts a server, account, newsgroup, or chat service…''

• You may receive an Error 403 message when you attempt to log in to your webmail account.
  
  
• You are unable to receive and send email. If you use another email client (such as Outlook, Apple Mail, or the email app on your phone), you will be unable to send email and may receive prompts asking you to log into the email server with your username and password, which will repeat until the login prompt is closed.
  
  
• The above symptoms can be signs of other technical issues as well. If you do see them, please contact Technical Support at 877-692-2253 for assistance.

NOTE: If you have been disabled but were not aware of any spam messages being sent from your account, it's possible that one or more of your email accounts have been compromised by spammers.

When disabling accounts for spam activity, Sparklight utilizes a ''Three Strike'' policy for accounts that are repeatedly used for sending unsolicited and/or junk messages. To prevent further account suspension, you will need to take steps to ensure the security of your account. Sparklight requires the following steps to re-enable your email account to working order:

First Disable

1. Scan all devices on your network for both viruses and malware. This includes computers, smartphones, and tablets. Ensure your anti-virus and anti-malware software has been updated to include the latest definitions for threats to your device(s), and quarantine, clean, or delete any detected threats. Note any malicious software or viruses found, and what was done to remedy the problem. Most anti-virus and anti-malware software generate a report at the end of a scan detailing the outcome.
   
   
2. Restore account security by performing the following:
   1. Passwords for all usernames on your account will need to be reset to a new, previously unused password. Use a strong password with a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters (!, @,#,$,%,^,&, * are acceptable characters).
      
      
   2. Update the password reset question and associated answer for each of your usernames by logging into your online customer account.
      
      
   3. Delete any unused or suspicious usernames with email from the account (not required, but strongly recommended).
      
      
   4. Ensure your own wireless network(s) are secured with a password and be careful when connecting to public or unsecured networks.
      
      
   5. Ensure a firewall is activated and not disabled on all your devices.
      
      
   6. When the above actions have been completed, contact Technical Support at 877-692-2253 for further assistance.

Second Disable

Upon your second disable, you will be prevented from logging into any online customer account sites and will temporarily be unable to access your email. Your internet connection will continue to work as normal.

You will be required to have all devices on your network scanned by a local computer technician, or by Sparklight's authorized remote support vendor, who will then need to contact the Sparklight Technical Care Center to advise what/if any viruses or Malware programs/files were found and cleaned up during the scans, as well as what steps have been taken to secure your network and network devices.

You should provide your Sparklight account number, as well as any associated usernames, to the technician who will be contacting the Technical Care Center; this will make it a quick and easy process to find your account and process the re-enable request.

Third / Final Disable

Upon your third disable, access to all Sparklight email addresses will be permanently disabled. You will still be able to use your usernames to access your online customer account.

If you have one of your previous Sparklight email addresses registered for paperless billing, it is your responsibility to create and register a new email address or opt-out of paperless billing.

Once disabled for the third and final time, you will no longer have access to recover emails, contacts, or calendar events.