General Policies

As citizens in today's global society, each of us has certain responsibilities for abiding by government- established laws, rules and regulations. Computer technology is rapidly changing the way we communicate, conduct business, and manage our personal affairs. As such, applied technology raises many new issues concerning legislation on the World Wide Web.

As part of the Internet Community, one should be aware of, and attempt to follow, a protocol known as Net Etiquette (Netiquette), which is nothing more than (good manners) for the benefit of all. Two general rules to remember are 1. Don't waste bandwidth and 2. Don't send unwanted messages.

This Acceptable Use Policy provides some guidelines for what constitutes a violation of our policies. More details are available below. In general, if an activity is illegal in society, then it is also illegal on the Internet. However, if you have a doubt about something, ask us before, not after, you attempt to implement an activity! Please remember that "ignorance" is not defensible in a court of law.

Internet Service Agreement

CTI Networks, Inc.´s goal is to provide the best service possible at all times for all of our customers. Our policies are meant to protect those services from interruption. Use of our Internet services constitutes an agreement to abide by our terms. Account holders are expected to periodically review our policies for updates.

Inappropriate use or abuse of our services by customers may result in account suspension, termination, and/or legal action. Inappropriate use or abuse of our services by others can be traced, documented, reported to appropriate authorities and when necessary prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. CTI Networks, Inc. will cooperate fully with legal authorities in the investigation of suspected crimes or service abuses. Please r eview our extract of the Pennsylvania Criminal Code on the "Unlawful Use of Computers."

CTI Networks, Inc.´s standard dial-up accounts are intended to be available on an as-needed or on-demand basis. Our customers dial into large modem banks and should treat these modem pools as a shared resource. Standard dial-up accounts are not dedicated dial-up connections and we expect our customers to use consideration in the number of hours they spend online with their standard dial-up service. All standard dial-up accounts are subject to an automatic 5 hour session timeout and 20 minute idle timeouts. In those cases where subscribers run a server, need a continuous connection, or have a number of computers connected to the Internet through a modem sharing router that is always on, we require they upgrade their account to one of our dedicated service plans if they expect their monthly usage to exceed 300 hours. We reserve the right to upgrade the accounts of any customers that we feel are using our standard dial-up connections as dedicated connections (for example, when the user is online for more than 300 hours with the account). These standard home and small business accounts are intended for use by the account holder on only one computer at a time. If two or more simultaneous modem sessions are required please inquire about our special dual-dial plans.

CTI Networks, Inc. does not actively engage in monitoring the content of customer email or Internet activities. Also, CTI Networks, Inc. is not responsible for any inaccurate delivery of email messages to incorrect recipients due to equipment or software malfunction during the use of any CTI Networks, Inc. mail services. We respect the privacy of users and recognize the right to freedom of speech. However, certain activities are not acceptable within our ethical and moral practices. For example, the promotion, sale and use of pornographic materials via our Internet service or web sites is not permitted. Please review our list of prohibited activities below for more examples.

CTI Networks, Inc. reserves the right to remove materials from our servers which, at CTI Networks, Inc.'s sole discretion, appear to violate any law or our policies.

CTI Networks, Inc. reserves the right to unilaterally terminate an account at any time, without providing a reason. In such cases, account holders are still responsible to pay any fees that are still owed to us. Any prepaid fees will be refunded to the account holder on a prorated basis. Any penalties for criminal action will be deducted from amounts owed before refunds are provided.

Prohibited Activities

The appearance of an item here is not meant to imply that any CTI Networks, Inc. customers have been involved in such activity. If a complaint is received against one of our customers, we will investigate as needed. CTI Networks, Inc. reserves the right to collect damages for any harm done to our services. This could include billing for time spent to correct problems on our email server that were caused by a user who sent unsolicited mass email (spam).

This list of prohibited activities includes common violations of Internet services and laws. The list should be sufficient to answer most questions and will be updated periodically to keep users informed.

We consider the following to be violations of our services:

  • Using CTI Networks, Inc. services in support of, or for, illegal activities.
  • Presence of pornographic or slave-trade materials in personal or commercial web space, or on servers hosted in our facilities.
  • Using personal, non-commercial web space to conduct a commercial business.
  • High volume or bandwidth usage which exceeds account terms or disrupts services for others.
  • Threats of violence, destruction, mental or bodily harm, property damage, vulgarities or discrimination against groups or individuals. • Willful distribution of computer viruses to, from or through CTI Networks, Inc. systems.
  • Exporting software or other information in violation of US Export Control Laws.
  • Making fraudulent offers, claims, or false advertisements.
  • Unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials.
  • Promotion of pyramid schemes or "make money fast" schemes.
  • Sending email bombs (sending multiple similar messages to the same email address for the purpose of disrupting service).
  • Sending news bombs (sending large volumes of data to a newsgroup).
  • Sending spam (unsolicited mass mailings) to email addresses.
  • Sending excessive postings to multiple newsgroups, (known as "excessive multi-posting" or EMP).
  • Sending chain letters or propagating hoaxes.
  • Harassment via e-mail or other Internet resources.
  • Forging email message headers to change the appearance of routing or source of the message.
  • Impersonating another user or falsifying one's name during use of Internet services, or to obtain additional free trial services.
  • Attempts to breach security measures for user accounts or network resources.
  • Disregard for simple security measures such as protecting your login/password.
  • Sharing of Internet accounts/passwords that are meant for the exclusive use of an individual subscriber.
  • Exceeding allocated disk space without regard to upgrading account terms for space limits.
  • Use of ping or bot programs to maintain a continuous connection.
  • Excessive, continuous connections beyond account terms.
  • Persistent operation of any device that contributes to the distribution of unsolicited email (SPAM), including, but not limited to, improperly configured mail and proxy servers.

Possible CTI Networks, Inc. Response to Prohibited Activities.

  • Issue warnings to the customer: verbal or written.
  • Suspend specific privileges of an account.
  • Suspend or terminate an account.
  • Bill the customer account for administrative costs related to correcting problems caused by the prohibited activity.
  • Notify and/or cooperate with legal authorities concerning the abuse of services.
  • Initiate legal action against the offender(s).

Warranties/Liabilities

CTI Networks, Inc. service is provided on an "as is, as available" basis. No warranties are expressed or implied. CTI Networks, Inc. assumes no liability for damages that may result from the abuse of our Internet services, the inability to use our services, or the disruption of our services. CTI Networks, Inc.'s total liability for any event shall be limited to the amount paid to CTI Networks, Inc. by the client for any services.

Unless otherwise contracted for data archiving services, customers are responsible for independent backup of any data files residing on CTI Networks, Inc. computers or networks. CTI Networks, Inc. reserves the right to remove / delete any personal files after an account is terminated or associated with prohibited activities.

If you have any questions regarding our acceptable use policy, or wish to report suspected abuse, please contact us.