Acceptable Use Policy

Customer shall not do any of the following, or permit any third party under its control (including its customers and their authorized users) to do the following, and must include provisions in its service agreements for its customers and authorized users that restrict them from doing any of the following:

1. Restrict or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying the Service and/or the Internet.
   
   
2. Illegal Downloading
   While peer-to-peer (P2P) software such as Lime Wire, Kazaa, Morpheus, The Pirate Bay and BitTorrent downloading are not illegal, they put your system and the network at risk. For that reason these sites and similar sites are not to be used on this network. By using these sites you will be in violation of this AUP.
   Free P2P software is often packaged with spyware, adware, or Trojans, which can threaten your computer's security. In addition, the traffic generated by P2P file-sharing of music and movies slows the network response time and detracts from the network resources available for other users.
   
   
3. IPTV, XBOX
   While using XBOX and similar gaming devices are acceptable, using these devices to download and view movies like Netflix is not permitted.
   
   
4. pload, post, publish, transmit, reproduce, distribute, or participate in the transfer or sale, or in any way exploit any information, software or other material obtained through the Internet which is PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT or other proprietary rights or derivative works with respect thereto, without obtaining permission of the copyright owner or right holder.
   
   
5. Use the SMTP services of a third party for the purposes of relaying or sending electronic mail messages without the express permission of that third party .
   
   
6. Host a publicly-accessible "open relay" SMTP or anonymous remailer service for any purpose, cause, or reason.
   
   
7. Post a commercial advertisement to any USENET newsgroup, Internet "chat room", bulletin board, or similar forum, if the target forum is not specifically chartered for public advertisement by non-private parties of items "for sale"
   
   
8. Post to any USENET Newsgroup or other newsgroups, forum, email mailing list or similar group or list articles which are off-topic according to the charter or other public statement of the group.
   
   
9. Send Unsolicited Commercial E-mail (UCE, also known as SPAM) to any number of e-mail users or lists.
   
   
10. Maintain, or send e-mail to, "opt-in targeted marketing lists" if the Customer cannot demonstrate, to Nature Coast Networks satisfaction, that the members of the list(s) have knowingly requested to be added to the list(s) in question through direct action of their own doing, and that easily-accessible, automated opt-out/removal mechanisms are in place and available to the members of the list(s).
    
    
11. Engage in any activity that is, or appears to be, an attempt to gain unauthorized access to a remote system or network, or to gain information that could later be used to assist in gaining unauthorized access to a remote system or network, such as port scanning, dictionary attacks, Denial of Service attacks, server/service hijacking, etc.
    
    
12. Engage in any of the foregoing activities using the service of another provider, but channeling such activities through an Nature Coast Networks account or remailer, or using an Nature Coast Networks account as a mail drop for responses to UCE, or hosting a website that is advertised via UCE that originates from a non-Nature Coast Networks connected source, or otherwise requiring return transit through Nature Coast Network's internet backbone.
    
    
13. Falsify or "spoof" user information provided to Nature Coast Networks or to other users of the Service, and for handling all complaints and trouble reports made by its own customers and authorized users.
    
    
14. Use the Service in violation or contravention of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, or any other applicable law, regulation, order or other governmental directive, or abuse or fraudulently use the Service in any way not specifically set forth above.
    
    
15. Clients are restricted to our private server and dedicated server packages for hosting "adult related" content, including, but not restricted to: images, text, links. Nature Coast Networks reserves the right to terminate an account without warning to any site that Nature Coast Networks determines to be "adult related" and is not on the required service.
    
    
16. Create or transmit material that is illegal in Canada or the United States, or material that is illegal in your country of origin. Child pornography is forbidden.
    
    
17. Create or transmit (other than for properly supervised and lawful research purposes) any offensive, obscene or indecent images, data or other material, or any data capable of being resolved into obscene or indecent images or material.
    
    
18. Create or transmit material which is designed or likely to cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
    
    
19. Create or transmit defamatory material.
    
    
20. Create or transmit material such that this infringes the copyright of another person            

Further, if customer is notified by Nature Coast Network's Abuse Response Team, via e-mail or the Customer discovers on their own or through any other means, that the Customer themselves or any third party under Customers control of a violation of this AUP, the Customer will take whatever steps are necessary to stop such activity, and prevent repeat violations by the offending entity.

The customer will respond to all violations reported within 1 (one) business day of the violation being reported, and will have put a stop to the activity within 2 (two) business days of the violation first being reported.

Nature Coast Networks reserves the right to disconnect or terminate Customers accounts, packages, or systems if the Acceptable Use Policy has been abused. At their discretion, Nature Coast Networks may resume operation of clients when the AUP abuse has been eliminated.

By agreeing to this policy, you also agree that Nature Coast Networks has the right to amend this policy at any time, and that the amended policy will be binding on you.

Updated 5/23/10