Newsgroups: bit.listserv.bitnews
Date:         Wed, 23 Dec 1992 11:32:21 EST
From:         Jim Conklin <CONKLIN@BITNIC.BITNET>
Subject:      Revised CREN Acceptable Use Policy
Comments: cc: technews@BITNIC.BITNET, crenbdst@BITNIC.BITNET

  The following CREN Acceptable Use Policy, revised to take the new CREN
policy on file size and handling, will take effect as of January 1, 1993.
                                                                        Jim

BITNET Network Information Center, CREN       CREN NET_USE      01/01/93
Suite 600, 1112 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA  +1 202-872-4200



            Corporation for Research and Educational Networking

                        Acceptable Use Policy


     CREN networks are for the use of persons legitimately affiliated with
CREN Member or Affiliate organizations, to facilitate the exchange of
information consistent with the academic, educational and research purposes of
its members.  All individuals affiliated with CREN Member or Affiliate
organizations are responsible for seeing that their communities are aware of
these guidelines, and that the guidelines are followed, both in letter and in
spirit.

     CREN networks are, at the discretion of the institutions involved, open
to use by students enrolled at participating CREN Member or Affiliate
educational institutions.

     Use of CREN networks shall:
  * Be consistent with the purposes and goals of the networks
  * Avoid interfering with the work of other users of the networks
  * Avoid disrupting the network host systems (nodes)
  * Avoid disrupting network services


Acceptable Use of the Networks

     The following examples may help users of the networks apply these
principles in particular cases.
  * Messages that are likely to result in the loss of recipients' work or
     systems are prohibited.
  * CREN networks are not to be used for commercial purposes, such as
     marketing, reselling bandwith, or business transactions between
     commercial organizations.
  * Advertising is forbidden.  Discussion of a product's relative advantages
     and disadvantages by users of the product is encouraged.  Vendors may
     respond to questions about their products as long as the responses are
     not in the nature of advertising.
  * CREN networks may be used for the provision of services which support the
     needs and purposes of the CREN networks, and for which a charge is made,
     if the network is an optional mechanism for provision of this service for
     which no additional charge is made, and as long as the use of the service
     is consistent with the bandwidth of the network and the forwarding hosts.
     Providers of such information may be non-profit or for-profit
     organizations.
  * Any communication which violates applicable laws and regulations is not
     allowed.*

     Users of CREN networks are expected to be responsible in their use:
  * "Chain letters," "broadcasting" messages to lists or individuals, and
     other types of use which would cause congestion of the networks or
     otherwise interfere with the work of others are not allowed.
  * Users are requested to minimize the transmission of large files in order
     not to degrade network performance.  Files up to 1 MB should be able to
     traverse most of the network.**

     CREN Members or Affiliates are expected to take reasonable measures
(given the constraints of technology and management) to ensure that traffic
using gateways between CREN networks and other networks conforms to these
guidelines.

     Final authority for CREN acceptable use policies lies with the CREN
Board.  It is the responsibility of member representatives to contact the CREN
Board, in writing, regarding questions of interpretation.  Until such issues
are resolved, questionable use should be considered "not acceptable."


----------------------
*  In particular, messages and data sent to destinations outside the US must
    satisfy the Department of Commerce regulations (either be within the GTDA
    guidelines for information which may be generally transmitted or have the
    required license).
** See the file BITNET FILESIZE on LISTSERV@BITNIC for CREN guidelines on file
    size and handling.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU