ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

1. This ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY is designed to foster an on-line environment of mutual respect in which everyone is able to enjoy the benefits of our Internet service offerings.

2.  Internet users are responsible for ensuring that their use of the network are in accordance with this ACCEPTABLE USE Policy.

3.  If our company has reason to suspect that a user, on anyone using the user's account, is violating this POLICY, then the account in question may be suspended pending an investgation. Depending on the outcome of the investigation the Company in it's sole discreation, can terminate the user account.

4.  The Company does not actively monitor its user's use of the Internet network.  We rely on our user's to govern themselves and to report any violations to this Accpetable Use Policy.

5.  The Company has the right, but not the obligation, to investigate any violation or alleged violation of this Acceptable Use Policy, including the right to examine any information or materials contained on our servers.

6.  The Company has the right, but not the obligation, to take any steps it deems necessary to prevent violations of this Acceptable Use Policy.  Further the Company has the right, but not the obligation, to remove any content that it deems, in its sole discreation, to be in violation of any part of this Acceptable Use Policy.

7.  The failure of the Company to enforce this Acceptable Use Policy, for whatever reason, shall not be construed as a waiver of any rightt to do so at any time.

ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES:

Internet Users MUST NOT use the Companies Internet services to encourage, facilitate or engage in any illegal activies, including without limitation:

  a. DEFAMATION: posting or transmitting any material which is defamatory under applicable law:

  b. FRAUD: posting or transmitting any information that you know or ought to know is false, and that you intend others to rely on;

  c.  UNLAWFUL MATERIAL:  posting or disseminating unlawful material:

  d.  FALSE ADVERTISING: posting or transmitting any advertising or promotional materils that contain false, deceptive or misleading statements, claims or representations;

  e. COPYRIGHT VIOLATION: posting, downloading, transmittting any information software, photograph, video, graphic, music, sound and other material in violation of another person's copyright; and

  f. TRADEMARK VIOLATION:  posting, transmitting, displaying or using any words or symbols that violate any other person's rights in its trade-mark or trade-name.

ELECTRONIC MAIL ACTIVITIES:

  a.  sending unsolicited bulk email (so called spam)

  b.  send, or cause to be sent, large volumes of unsolicitedd email to a single or multiple people or entities (so call email bombing);

  c.  repeatedly send email to any person or entity who does not wish to receive it.  If a receipent asks to stop receiving email from a Company User, then that Company User must not send that person (s) further email; and

  d.  subscribe to any email list or service on behalf of a third party without that third party's consent.

SECURITY, PRIVACY AND "HACKING":

The Internet User is responsible for any misuse of the Services that orginate from their account, even activities committed by any friend, family, co-worker, employee, guest or anyone with access to the User's account with the Company.  It is the User's responsiblity to assure that others not gain unauthorized access to the User's account and service capabilities.

The user must not:

  a.  disrupt or interfer with the normal operation of the Company's systems, networks, or activities in any way that adversely affects the ability of other people, or systems to use the Company's services or the Internet, including but not limited to:

    1. denial of service attacks

    2. flooding of networks

    3. attempts to overload a service; and

    4. attempts to cause system crashes, or attempt to do so; or

    5. use any unauthorizedd program to connect user to any Company Internet Relay Chat ("IRC") server, including, but not limited to , IRC bots or clonebots;

    6.  gain access or attempt to gain access to the private systems or data of the Company with out prior written consent of RuralWest Corporate offices.

Company Internet Users must not use their customer accounts to:

  a.  circumvent or attmpt to circumvent security or authentication systems on any host, network hardware, or user accounts, including, but not limited to, logging into any server, authorization and eclectonically probing the security of any system or network; or

  b.  disrupt or interfere with the network operation of any system or network operated by any third party, or attempt to do so.

  c.  gain access or attempt to gain access to the private systems or data of the Companies, or any third party without the prior written consent of the Company Corporate offices or that of any third party.

USERNET NEWSGROUPS:

Internet Users must not:

  a. post a single article or substantially similar articles to an excessive number of newsgroups, or cross-post to an excessive number of newsgroups;

  b. post articles on a newsgroup which are off-topic according to the newsgroup charter;

  c. post binary or encoded binary files to newsgroups not specifically designated for that purpose;

  d. post commercial messages on a non-commercial Company newgroup without the prior written approval from RuralWest Corporate offices;

  e.  engage in any of (a), (b), (c) or (d) from a provider other than the Company (s) and use an account on the Company(s) as an email return address or "drop" for responses, or

  g. engage in any of (a), (b), (c) or (d) from a  provider other than the Company(s) for the purpose of drawing attention to a service hosted by or on the Company(s) network.

The Company reserves the right to discontinue access to any Usenet newsgroup at any time and for any reason.

CENSORSHIP AND ADULT MATERIALS:

Our Company(s) believes in freedom of expression and the right of individuals to decide for themselves what they want to see and listen to.  We do not believe it is the place of an ISP or service provider to censor or regulate the Internet.  However, users must not use our Company(s) Internet access capability to transmit or post any information or image that is criminally obscene or otherwise prohibited under applicable law.

The Company(s) assume NO RESPONSIBLITY for Internet content available through the services provided Users.  Users (Customers) are responsible for restricting access to sexually explicit materials on teh Internet, by purchasing the appropriate filtering software, or by monitoring Internet use.  Content questions or complaints should be addressed to the originating content provider.

MISCELLANEOUS:

  a.  FALSE PRETENCES.  Users must not  use the Company(s) services to impersonate any person or use a fictitious user name with any of the Company(s) services, including in any email, Usenet posting, or Internet Relay Chat ("IRC") site.  This restriction does not preclude the use of nicknames in IRC, the use of anonymous remailer services, or posting to any site that permists pseudonyms.

  b. UNSOLICITED ADVERTISING.  Users must not use Company(s) services to post or transmit any unsolicited advertising, promotional materials or other forms of solicitation to any person except in those areas and on those websites that are designated for such a purpose.

  c. HARASSMENT, THREATS and ABUSE.  Users must not use Company(s) services to harass, threaten, or abuse any person or group of people by any means.

  d.  CRUDE OR OFFENSIVE POSTINGS.  Users must not use Company(s) services to post offensive or crude messages or images on publically accessible pages or sites, except where such messages or images are appropriate having regard to the nature of the site.  The Company(s) has the right, but not the obligation, to remove messages or images that the Company(s), in its sole discreation, determines are offensive.

  e. MULTIPLE ACCESS.  Users must not maintain more than one simultaneous connection betweeen Company(s) services, ITRC chatgroup or newsgroup.

  f.  DISRUPTIVE CONDUCT.  Users must not use Company(s) services to disrupt the normal flow of online dialogue, or otherwise act in a manner that negatively affects other users, individuals or entitites.

BANDWIDTH NETWORK TRAFFIC AND OTHER LIMITATIONS:

Users must comply with the current bandwidth, network traffic, data storage and other limitations of service.

Users must ensure that their activity DOES NOT improperly restrict, inhibit or degrade any other User's (Customer) use of the Services provided by the Company(s), nor represent (in the sole judgement of the Company(s) an unusually large burden on the network itself.

THE POLICY FOR BANDWIDTH, NETWORK TRAFFIC USAGE, MONTH FOR SERVICE PACKAGE IS AS FOLLOWS:  USERS OF OUR STANDARD RESIDENTIAL SERVICE ARE PERMITTED A TOTAL OF 100 GIGABYTES USAGE PER MONTH.  BANDWIDTH, NETWORK TRAFFIC AMOUNTS IN EXCESS THE AMOUNT SPECIFIED IN THE APPROPRIATE INTERNET SERVICE PACKAGE WILL BE CHARGED AT A RATE OF $2.50 PER GIGBYTE IN ACCESS OF THEIR SPECIFIED AMOUNT.  USERS MAY DETERMINE THIER CURRENT USAGE AT ANY TIME BY CALLING OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFICE.

In addtion, users must ensure that their activity does not improperly restrict, disrupt, inhibite, degrade or impede the Company(s) ability to deliver the Internet Services and monitor the Services backbone, network nodes, and/or other network services.

Users (Customers) may not RESELL, SHARE, or otherwise DISTRIBUTE the Internet Services or any portion thereof any third party with the written consent of the Company(s).  For example, YOU CANNOT PROVIDE INTERNET ACCESS TO OTHER THROUGH WIRELESS OR DIAL UP CONNECTION, HOST SHELL SERVICE, OR SEND A NEWS FEED unless written express permission is granted by RURALWEST CORPORATE OFFICE.

Users (Customers) may not provide network services to others via the Company's Internet Service, without written approval by RURALWEST CORPORATE OFFICES.

UPDATES:

This ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY is subject to change without notice.  The current version of the Acceptable Use Policy will be displayed on this website.

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS:

Users can direct their questions and concerns regarding this Acceptable Use Policy to the Company Corporate office - CorporateOffice@ruralwest.com.