Comcast Settlement-Free Interconnection (SFI) Policy

Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC, through its operating subsidiaries ("Comcast"), seeks to interconnect its Internet Protocol (IP) network with other Internet providers on a settlement-free interconnection (SFI) basis when such interconnection provides tangible benefits to Comcast and its customers.

 

For purposes of this SFI policy, an IP Network seeking interconnection must be a single Autonomous System (“ASN”).


The criteria involving traffic measurement below applies to both IPv4 and IPv6 and must be met by the Applicant for three consecutive months. To apply for SFI with Comcast, please submit this form to provide evidence of meeting all criteria listed in this SFI policy. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe to all applicants.


Applicants not matching this policy may apply for Wholesale Internet Access services.

Settlement-Free Interconnection Requirements for Comcast AS7922

  • Applicant must operate a US-wide IP backbone whose links are primarily 100 Gbps or greater.

  • Applicant must meet Comcast at a minimum of four mutually agreeable geographically diverse locations. Interconnection points should typically include at least one city on the US east coast, one in the US central region, and one on the US west coast, and must currently be chosen from Comcast peering points in the following list of metropolitan areas: New York City/Newark NJ, Ashburn, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Los Angeles, Palo Alto/San Jose, and Seattle.

  • Applicant’s traffic to/from the Comcast network must be on-net only and must amount to at least 20 Gbps average in the dominant direction for at least the three-month period prior to applying. Interconnection bandwidth must be at least 10 Gbps at each interconnection point.

  • A network with its own Autonomous System Number (ASN) that is a customer of a Comcast network for any dedicated /wholesale IP services may not simultaneously be a settlement-free network peer.

  • Applicant must have a 24x7 Network Operations Center (NOC) and agree to repair or otherwise remedy any problems within a reasonable timeframe. Applicant must also agree to actively cooperate to resolve security incidents, denial of service attacks, and other operational problems.
  • Applicant must maintain responsive abuse contacts for reporting and dealing with all forms of abuse and security issues, technical contact information for capacity planning and provisioning, and administrative contacts for all legal notices.

  • Applicant must participate in joint capacity reviews, as requested by Comcast, and work towards timely capacity augmentation as identified.     
  • Applicant must maintain a traffic scale between its network and Comcast that enables a general balance of inbound to outbound traffic, and this general balance must exist for at least the three month period prior to applying, except in limited cases where settlement-free interconnection would provide security and stability benefits to Comcast’s network (e.g., connectivity to a global root DNS operator or one of the Regional Internet Registries), as determined in Comcast’s sole discretion. The network cost burden for carrying traffic between networks shall be similar to justify SFI.

  • Applicant must abide by the following routing security policies:

    • Must use the same peering ASN at each interconnection point and must announce a consistent set of routes at each point, unless otherwise mutually agreed.

    • No transit or third-party routes are to be announced; all routes exchanged must be Applicant's and Applicant's customers' routes.

    • Must implement Source Address Validation (SAV) to block packets with spoofed source IP addresses, or undertake reasonable efforts to enable such validation practices as soon as practicable.

    • Must perform Route Origin Validation (ROV) using Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) information, or undertake reasonable efforts to enable such validation practices as soon as practicable.

    • Must implement BGP session protection or undertake reasonable efforts to enable such protection practices as soon as practicable.

    • Must filter route announcements from their customers by prefix.

  • Applicant must enter into a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) to begin SFI discussions if requested by Comcast.

  • The SFI processes may start with a 90-day trial. In such cases, on successful completion of that trial, a formal interconnect agreement will be processed.

  • Unless otherwise set forth in the interconnect agreement, the interconnect agreement will auto-renew every year for one-year terms, and will at all times be subject to the then-current SFI Policy.

  • During the term, if there is a violation of the policy, the agreement and interconnections may be terminated by Comcast upon written notice to the contacts specified in the agreement.

  • Applicant is not permitted to offer or sell any IP transit services providing connectivity only to AS7922.

  • During the term, Applicant must maintain financial stability (e.g., not be in or enter bankruptcy proceedings) and must not be subject to US sanctions or other legal or governmental restrictions.

  • Applicants with networks outside of the US that are seeking SFI in the US with Comcast under this SFI policy must agree to provide a reciprocal SFI arrangement with Comcast in the Applicant’s non-US market(s).

  • Applicant understands and agrees that Comcast may publicly report SFI-related data, such as capacity, utilization, and operational status – such as on a network health and outages dashboard for customers.

Ongoing SFI Reviews with Comcast AS7922

Meeting the SFI guidelines set forth herein is not a guarantee that an SFI relationship with Comcast will be established. Comcast shall evaluate a number of business and technical factors and reserves the right not to enter into an interconnect agreement with an otherwise qualified applicant. If desired, applicants may re-apply for SFI once every six (6) months.


Existing SFI network peers of Comcast will have their status reviewed periodically to ensure that joint capacity planning intervals are sufficient for growth, contacts are refreshed for operations purposes, and all criteria continue to be met.


Comcast reserves the right to terminate SFI at will, subject to any notice periods that may be required within an interconnect agreement, with peers who do not meet the criteria described above.


Periodic review of the policies contained herein will be conducted to ensure that the criteria and eligibility requirements are consistent with Comcast's business needs. Comcast may modify this SFI policy at any time.


Effective date: APRIL 24, 2026

 

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