Center State Communications (CSC) requires all CSCISP.net Customers/Users agree to the Usage Policy listed below.  If the Customer/User does not agree to these terms they are required to contact Center State Communications Sales Department via telephone at:  1-800-880-9853 to discuss this policy.

USAGE POLICY

Residential/Commercial Dialup Unlimited Access: The ability to logon to Center State Communications at any time without hourly fees for any use which is consistent with this policy. Center State Communications reserves the right to time-out a customer's connection after 15 minutes of inactivity or after 5 hours of continuous use. (If you are disconnected because of a time-out, simply log-on again.) Unlimited Access Dialup customers are not permitted to maintain a continuous open connection. This is an abuse of the Unlimited Access policy. Unlimited access does not mean continuous access. Unlimited Dial Up is restricted to 5 hours per day. An example of why you may leave your computer connected is that you have an Instant Messenger Program with an away message.  This is not necessary and can cause your account to be charged with a High Usage Fee.  Leaving your computer connected to the Internet for long periods of time can and will open your computer to abuse by Spyware and Viruses. Customers wishing to operate commercial information services of any type are encouraged to contact our sales department to establish a Commercial Dedicated Account. Customers who wish to track their usage can do so by accessing their account in the My Account section of this web site. Disregard for this policy will result in High Usage Fee surcharges and may result in termination of the customer's account.

Dialup Network Abuse Prevention

Center State Communications pro-actively monitors dialup usage to enforce fair usage policies. The largest threat to fair dialup usage is subscribers which install autodialers into their computers either knowlingly or as a result of spyware or viruses, which attempt to maintain a connection 24x7. In order to prevent this, the following policy is in place for all dialup accounts. These rules are specifically crafted to have as little customer impact as possible and specifically target autodialers which automatically connect a computer to the internet when the subscriber is not at their computer. In order to trigger any of these abuse levels legitimately without the use of an auto-dialer, a subscriber would need to maintain multiple constant 16 hour sessions on the internet without any breaks which would be a highly unlikely event.

Abuse Level 1
If a subscriber remains connected for the maximum session time (usually 8 hours), and then re-connects again and remains connected for another full maximum session time, the system will automatically put a 15 minute timeout in effect for the subscriber. Once they disconnect the 2nd time, a 15 minute counter is initiated preventing them from automatically dialing up again.

Abuse Level 2
In the event a subscriber triggers the abuse level 1 monitor twice during any month, their maximum session time is reduces to a maximum of 4 hours. A 15 minute timeout is put into effect if the user reaches the session timeout two times in a row just as in level 1.

Abuse Level 3
In the event a subscriber triggers the abuse level 2 monitor 4 times during any month, their maximum session time is reduced to a maximum of 2 hours. A 15 minute timeout is put into effect if the user reaches the session timeout two times in a row.

In the event a user is flagged for any of these abuse levels it will be marked in their authentication logs with "Abusive Behavior" in the authentication failure line.

BILLING TERMS & CONDITIONS

It is advisable to be familiar with CSC 's billing rules in order to prevent billing disputes. The sooner a billing dispute is brought to our attention, the easier it will be to resolve to everyone's satisfaction. We are unaware of a problem unless it is brought to our attention by either calling the Billing Department at 1-800-880-9853 or e-mailing to billing@centerstate.net .

Age Limitation: A customer must be a minimum of 18 years of age in order to subscribe to CSC service.

Billing Begins: Billing for dialup services begins upon date of installation.

Telephone Charges: CSC will not be held responsible for any telephone charges including long distance, per-minute surcharges or equipment costs incurred by the customer. These charges are exclusively between the customer and the telephone provider. The customer should always check first with their local telephone company prior to using any dial-up telephone number.

Residential Rate Change: CSC reserves the right to change monthly recurring fees, connection fees, and equipment fees or to add new fees at any time with 30 days prior notice. If service has been prepaid, the new charges will not become effective until the expiration of the pre-payment.

Billing Disagreement: Any disagreement or dispute concerning a bill must be made within 30 days of the billing date. Charges disputed after this period of time will not be considered negotiable.

Credit Card Use:

A customer must not attempt to place an order or make a payment to CSC with an expired, false, or unauthorized credit card. The fraudulent customer's service will be terminated and the customer may be reported to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

When a customer wishes to change from credit card payments to monthly/quarterly direct invoicing, it is their responsibility to notify our Billing Department. CSC will not authorize charge backs to credit card companies if we have not received prior notification of this change in billing procedures. Credit cards will be billed during the first week of your billing cycle. Billing cycles are assigned based on the day you originally signed up for service.

A $30.00 Credit Card Dispute (the Credit Card Company charge back) charge will be applied to a customer's account when that customer disputes a charge with their card company prior to bringing the complaint to CSC's attention, always notify us first of any billing questions.

CSC reserves the right to terminate access to CSC accounts immediately without notice, upon the rejection of any credit card charges, or non-payment by the financial institution.

Immediate Notification Required:

A customer must promptly notify CSC of any of the following changes to:

Ø Expiration Date of a credit card used to make payments for our services.

Ø Changes in the customer's home address or billing address.

Ø Any suspected breaches of security such as: theft, loss or unauthorized use of a credit card, bank or credit union account or ID or password.

Service Termination: CSC reserves the right to terminate access to any CSC account immediately and without notice at its sole discretion, or upon violation of the this policy, rejection of any credit card charges, non-payment by the bank or credit union of authorized charges or any other indication of credit problems such as bankruptcy filings.

Termination of Service: Customers wishing to terminate access services with CSC are required to give 30 days written notice prior to the date of cancellation. A customer cannot assume that their account automatically terminates when their payment remittances cease.

Introductory Offer: CSC reserves the right to offer introductory rates and specials limited to new customers. If you have become a new CSC customer within the previous 7 days, you are eligible for the introductory specials.

Bankruptcy: Upon notice that a customer has filed bankruptcy, at its option, CSC may terminate service or require that customer pay 2 months advance on future service and a $35 administrative fee.

Returned-Check: CSC will charge $30 for any returned check.

Post-Dated Checks: CSC will not honor posted dated checks.

PLEASE NOTE:

CSC will charge a $25 fee to reactivate any account that is suspended for non-payment.

In the event of delinquency, the customer agrees to pay a 15% collection fee plus court costs in addition to the amount owed.

CSC may impose and customer agrees to pay a late fee for all past due payments of 1.5% per month, 18% annual. In the event that customer fails to pay CSC, all amounts due under this agreement and CSC refers this matter to an attorney, customer agrees to pay, in addition to the amount due, any and all costs incurred by CSC as a result to such action, including a reasonable attorney's fee.

USER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The following rules of usage for CSC customers are intended to facilitate and ensure the easiest, widest range of accessibility to the Internet through our service.

Server Operation: Dial-up customers are not permitted to knowingly operate information servers of any type. Servers include, but are not limited to, Web servers, FTP servers, Mail servers, IRC servers, etc. Any customer accounts found knowingly operating a server of any type may face immediate and permanent revocation of service. If customers wish to operate any type of server, contact our Sales Department to establish a Commercial Dedicated account.

Commercial Postings: Commercial postings, those for monetary gain whether for profit or non-profit, via e-mail, newsgroup postings etc, except those in which it is specifically permitted, is prohibited by CSC.

Impersonation: Assuming or Attempting to assume the identity of another person on a CSC system or a system accessible through CSC is prohibited.

Abuse Complaints: Complaints concerning a customer from the CSC domain may be submitted to webmaster@centerstate.ent . When submitting complaints please include the following information:

1. 1. The IP address used to commit the infraction
2. 2. The date that the infraction was committed
3. 3. The time that the infraction was committed
4. 4. The time zone relevant to when the infraction was committed
5. 5. Evidence of the alleged infraction

E-mail forwarded with full header information is normally sufficient. Certain other situations may require additional information as determined by CSC.

Illegal Activities: All Users must comply with all federal, state, and local laws. Violation of law is also a violation of this Policy. Activities deemed as illegal by CSC are documented in the Illegal Activities section of this Acceptable Usage Policy.

E-mail and Newsgroup Transmission and Use: Use of all CSC mail servers and systems, including cschome.net, cscemail.net and centerstate.net, unless explicitly noted, is restricted as follows.  All activities noted below are strictly prohibited by CSC and may subject the customer to immediate and permanent termination of the customers account.

1. No Chain Letters : See “Chain Letters” under Illegal Activities

2. No Sending of Unsolicited E-mail: mailing of unsolicited, unwelcome and undesirable e-mail (Spam) to one or more Users or newsgroups is prohibited.

3. Relaying: Relaying of outbound e-mail is only permitted by users of active CSC e-mailboxes, for outbound messages of that active CSC e-mailbox.  It is prohibited to send outbound e-mail through the CSC mail servers in any other method.

4. Excessive e-mail use:   CSC reserves the right to delay or reject messages when more than 100 messages or message recipients per day is exceeded for inbound or outbound e-mail.  Repeated offenses may result in account suspension or termination.  Customers requiring more email usage should contact CSC for an upgraded or commercial email account

5. “From:” message header spoofing: The “From:” header on outbound messages must always match the active CSC e-mail account that is intended to be used for the outbound e-mail message.

6. E-mail de-activations:  CSC provides customers with one e-mailboxes per account. Any e-mail box that is inactive for 3 consecutive months will be deleted. Any e-mail within an inactive e-mailbox is probably spam and will be automatically deleted without inspection along with the e-mail box. Once deleted, the e-mail address associated with the e-mailbox will be deleted and become available for assignment to other customers. An e-mailbox is inactive if it has not been checked in 3 months, does not have an e-mail forward associated with it and is not the primary login for a dial-up account. If you intend to keep a mailbox active you may do so by retrieving e-mail from within the e-mailbox at least once every 3 months. CSC is not responsible for any loss of any kind because of the deletion of boxes or the e-mail inside. If your e-mailbox is deleted for inactivity, you may contact sales at 1-800-880-9853 to have the e-mailbox reinstated if the e-mail address is still available.

Limitation of Liability : To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall CSC, or its affiliates be liable for any special, incidental, indirect, punitive, or consequential damages whatsoever (including without limitation, damages for loss of business, service interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of or inability to use the Service, your inability to access the internet or any part thereof through the service or your reliance on or the use of information services or merchandise provided on the internet or through the service, or that result from mistakes, omissions, interruptions, deletion of files, errors, defects, delays in operation, transmission, or any failure of performance.

Indemnification : You, as a customer of CSC, agree to hold CSC harmless from any and all losses, claims, damages, expenses, and attorney fees, which may result from or are alleged to result from your use of CSC systems or services.

Responsible Use : CSC is not responsible for the content of any data originating from any CSC system or any system accessible through CSC. You, the account holder, are exclusively responsible for the content of any and all information you or any User of your account may transmit in any format or form.

General Knowledge : Customers are responsible for maintaining a general knowledge of their operating system, their communication equipment, and any software used to access CSC services or any services accessible through CSC. Any technical support offered to customers outside the scope of Internet service is at the sole discretion of the technical representative.

Minors : By utilizing the services provided by CSC, the Parent/Guardian understands that it is not the responsibility of CSC to monitor or restrict the data transmittal, retrieval or distribution activities of the minor child. Third party Internet filtering and blocking software is available for use, though CSC does not offer support in any aspect of the third party filtering package. The Parent/Guardian agrees to hold harmless CSC from any and all losses, claims, damages, expenses, and attorney fees, which result from or are alleged to result from your use of CSC systems or services. Content filtering solutions are available to customers for more information contact the applicable sales department.

Technical Support :

1. You are responsible for obtaining and maintaining any communication equipment necessary to connect to CSC, including modems, communication software, computer hardware, and local telephone service or long distance telephone service.

2. CSC Technical Support Personnel, while trained in a multitude of operating systems and software applications, cannot guarantee that the suggested solutions will solve all problems encountered. CSC will not be responsible for additional difficulties, including but not limited to loss of data, interruption of service, interruption of information service, interruption of\or loss of business services dependant on CSC services, arising out of solutions presented by technical support representatives.

3. CSC is not responsible for nor will the customer hold CSC liable for any long distance telephone charges accrued.

4. Technical support for Unlimited Access accounts is offered only on software included within the CSC products. Technical support for E-mail only accounts is strictly limited to e-mail software configuration.

5. CSC support of any third-party service, product, or application is at the discretion of CSC representatives and may be discontinued at any time.

6. Verbal or written abuse of CSC employees or agents may result in the termination of the customer account, and/or involvement of Federal, State, or Local law enforcement officials.

7. CSC reserves the right to notify, via e-mail, customers of network upgrades, scheduled network downtime, and any communications with customers CSC deems appropriate for e-mail to its customers.

Multiple Users : CSC prohibits concurrent, multiple-User logons from the same Residential “ Unlimited Access” dial-up accounts. In addition, the account holder is responsible for the activities of any User permitted to use your logon. Multiple members of the same entity are permitted to use the same account, but are not permitted to use the same account simultaneously.

Connection Sharing : CSC prohibits sharing Residential dial-up connections among more than one computer. Sharing among more than 5 computers on a commercial account is prohibited.  

E-mail Privacy : Pursuant to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, CSC cannot guarantee the same protection or level of privacy for electronic communications (e.g. E-mail, newsgroup posting, private electronic conversations, etc.) as assured by the United States Post Office. You should assume that other persons could view any and all communications passed on or through CSC systems or systems directly accessible through CSC.

Customer Privacy : CSC will not release to any entities information which you provided in your Account Application including name, address, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, except for the purpose for which it was provided unless required to do so by law or in case of emergency as determined by CSC in its sole discretion.

Information Integrity : The risk as to quality, performance and accuracy of any information or software obtained through our service is exclusively with the customer. CSC does not warrant any and all such electronic information nor will it be held responsible for any damages caused by such data.

Commercial Use : Web pages provided as part of the Internet Access Service are for residential use only. CSC prohibits commercial use of these Web Pages. The offending page must be altered or removed upon a warning being issued or access to it will be denied. This includes but is not limited to commercial advertising, commercial banners, etc. Commercial web pages are available at additional charges. Information can be found at www.centerstate.net .

Third Parties Purchases : CSC is not responsible for merchandise or services purchased from independent sellers on CSC systems or systems accessible through CSC. This includes, but is not limited to, purchase terms, warranties, guarantees, maintenance or deliveries. CSC is not party to such transactions and is not liable for any costs or damages arising out of, either directly or indirectly, the actions or inactions of sellers.

Filtering Solutions : CSC does offer Content Filtering Solutions using Bsafe Online and Netmop. CSC does not offer support for these third party software applications.  You will want to contact the vendor that you have purchased the software from for Customer/Technical Support Issues regarding that software. CSC cannot be held responsible for anyone's viewing of (a) site(s). Similarly, while Bsafe Online and Netmop makes every effort to deny Users the ability to circumvent the filtering solution, CSC or the third party vendors will not be held responsible for anyone's viewing of a site that would normally have been filtered if they made an active attempt at circumventing the filtering solution.

Virus Scanning : As a service to our customers and for the protection of the CSC Network, CSC may scan incoming and outgoing email for viruses. CSC does not read email in this process. An automated process checks email to see if it contains viruses. If a virus is detected, for your systems safety and the safety of the CSC network, your email containing the virus will be quarantined and if necessary, your account may be frozen in an attempt to prevent further infections. This service is a first line defense against viruses. It is not intended to be nor should it be relied upon to be your sole source of virus protection. We strongly encourage all of our Users to use any of the commercially available anti-virus software such as Norton Anti-Virus. Because no virus scan is 100% effective or reliable, CSC cannot be held liable for any damage to any computer, software, any peripherals or any data caused by any virus(es). The limitation on liability specifically applies to the virus scanning process.

Customer Network Security : Customer must use reasonable security methods to protect the CSC Network from Illegal Activities as defined herein, including viruses, worms, etc. Reasonable Security methods include, without limitation, maintaining current security operating system patches, proper configuration of wireless devices, routers, switches or other networking devices. Failure to utilize reasonable security methods may result in immediate termination of service without notice if CSC determines that termination is necessary to protect its network.

ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES

Illegal activities will not be tolerated. The following is a partial list of activities deemed illegal. These activities as well as those deemed illegal by local, state or federal law enforcement agencies will be in violation of this Acceptable Usage Policy.

Unlawful Use : CSC is not to be used for purposes contrary to Federal, State, or Local ordinances, regulations or statutes. Copyrighted, patented or trademarked materials are subject to the Intellectual Property Provisions of this Policy. Additionally, you may not, by use of any CSC or another service, upload, post or otherwise distribute or facilitate distribution of any content, including text, communications, software, images, sounds, data, or other information that contains viruses, corrupted files, or any other similar software or programs that may damage the operation of another's computer.

Chain Letters : You agree not to post or transmit letters or messages, on or through CSC systems, which offer a product or service based upon the structure of a chain letter. These activities may result in the immediate and permanent termination of your customer privileges.

Child Pornography : You agree not to post, transmit, display, receive or distribute visual depictions in any form involving the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The posting, displaying, transmitting, receiving or distribution of said depictions will result in the reporting of such activities to local, state or federal law enforcement agencies.

Hacking, Cracking, Phreaking : CSC customers agree not to probe, scan, access, or breach the security of any CSC system or any system accessible through CSC without authorization or exceeding authorized access. You agree not to attempt to gain access to or modify any other User's account. You agree not to interfere with or attempt to prohibit, restrict or alter the normal operations of CSC systems or any other systems accessible through CSC. Hacking, cracking, phreaking, etc. may result in the immediate and permanent termination of your customer privileges.

Unauthorized Monitoring : You agree not to monitor the traffic or data on any CSC system or any system accessible through CSC without authorization or exceeding authorized access.

Denial of Service : You agree not to abuse any system or any system accessible through CSC, by inhibiting or causing a denial of service (e.g. any Internet Protocol based flood attack) of other Users to effectively utilize such system. Denial of service attacks will result in the immediate and permanent termination of your customer privileges.

Stalking/Harassment : The Stalking, Harassment, Badgering, bothering, taunting or other offensive behavior towards another User of a CSC system or any system accessible through CSC by electronic means (e.g. IRC, E-mail, newsgroups, etc.) is prohibited by CSC. These activities may result in the immediate and permanent termination of your customer privileges. These activities may border on criminal depending upon circumstances and could result in the immediate termination of a customer's User privileges.

Spoofing : Assuming the IP Address of another User or sourcing traffic from an IP address that was not assigned to you by CSC. Assuming the IP address of another User not only denies service to the rightful owner of that IP Address, but it is also considered a hostile act by CSC and subject to immediate and permanent termination of the offender's account.

Obscene : The personal use of, or commercial distribution of vulgar language, sexually suggestive language, obscene language, obscene images or vulgar images which are transmitted, posted, or displayed are prohibited to traverse any CSC system or any system accessible through CSC. Obscenities may result in the immediate and permanent termination of your customer privileges. These activities may border on criminal depending upon circumstances and could result in Federal, State or Local Law Enforcement involvement.

Account Fraud : Knowingly using another customer's account on any CSC system or on any system accessible through CSC without their authorization, or in excess of authorized access risks the immediate and permanent termination of customer privileges.

Copyrighted Material : You agree not to post, transmit, display, or distribute through CSC any content that infringes on a third parties copyright, trademark, service mark, or trade secret without the expressed written consent of the third party.

Law Enforcement : CSC will fully cooperate with any Federal, State or Local Law Enforcement Agency (after receipt of a requisite subpoena) in the investigation and prosecution of any crime involving CSC's customers or its service.

RESIDENTIAL HOMEPAGES

CSC provides its customers with free Residential Homepages. The purpose of the homepage is to give CSC customers the opportunity to create a page on the World Wide Web. CSC is not responsible for the content of any Residential Home Pages. The account holder is solely responsible and by posting a residential home page specifically agrees to indemnify and hold CSC harmless, including reasonable attorney's fees, for any liability arising out of or connected in any manner to the Residential Home Page. Customers are responsible and are solely legally accountable for all liability including but not limited to defamatory comments, copyright and trademark violations. Residential home pages are not to contain profanity and obscenities. The substitution of alternate characters in place of letters for profanity is not permissible. Residential Home Pages may not contain banner advertisements promoting commercial or monetary gain.

CSC does not preview any Residential Home page prior to posting. CSC does not verify, endorse, review or otherwise involve itself in the page before it is posted. CSC reserves the right to remove any page from the system without warning.

Unacceptable Content for Residential Home Pages

The following are prohibited:

1. Advertising products or services by non-profit entities (such as Charitable Organizations, Professional Societies, Service Groups) as well as for profit entities.

a. Display of Advertisements, including banner exchange services.

b. Conducting raffles, lotteries, or contests.

c. Pages that are patently offensive, as determined by CSC, including but not limited to bigotry, racism, hatred and profanity.

d. Pages that promote physical harm or injury to any group or individual.

e. Pages that contain nudity, pornography or obscenities of any kind.

1. Pages that promote illegal activities including but not limited to hacking, cracking, warez, denial of services, phreaking, etc.
2. Password only and restricted access pages.
3. Pages with hidden images or pages.
4. Pages with unauthorized third party copyrighted, trademarked, service marked, or trade secret materials.
5. Use of the page that would otherwise violate the CSC Acceptable Usage Policy or Service Agreement.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

CSC subscribers have access to a vast quantity of information on the Internet. Some of that information is the intellectual property of others, which carries restrictions on its copying and usage. Intellectual property rights are held by the owners/creators of the work and are protected by copyright, trademark and patent law. Many works include the symbols © to designate copyright, ™ to indicate trademark, and ® to indicate a registered mark. The lack of any symbol, however, does not mean that the law does not protect the work.

Subscribers who use CSC services from computers within CSC's domain must not copy, use, or distribute copyrighted or trademarked works of others without the expressed permission of the right holder.

CSC is part of the global Internet connection that links CSC customers to web based news and mailing lists to Users not part of the CSC domain. By an automated computer process, CSC receives articles from other web based news servers, mailing lists, and makes the articles posted from those services available to CSC customers. The articles will normally, automatically expire at a predetermined time. CSC does not have the ability to control the contents of any posted articles or distributed information. CSC is simply a conduit for transferring the articles to and from its Users.