Mid-Rivers Communications’ dedication to customer service means that the Company strives to maintain an Internet Access Service (the “Service”) that provides the Company’s customers with an enjoyable Internet experience – an experience that is free from interference by persons who use the Service in an improper or unlawful manner.

The Company’s Online Policies address frequently asked questions regarding proper online conduct. These policies include information on Prohibited Activities when using the Service; the Content of the Online Material that you may find on or through the Service; purchasing Online Goods and Services through the Service; the Company’s Account Charges; and how to report complaints regarding a person’s online conduct by using the Company’s Complaint Response Procedures.

The Company’s Online Policies, including the following list of Prohibited Activities, are part of your subscriber Service Agreement. If you restrict or inhibit any other subscribers’ use or enjoyment of the Service by engaging in any of the activities prohibited below, the Company may suspend or terminate your account, which may include your Internet Access, e-mail access, and other services associated with your Internet account.

As explained in your service agreement, your use of the Company’s Service must be governed by all applicable laws and regulations, including all applicable local, state, national and international laws and regulations. In addition to other applicable laws, this includes all laws relating to copyright, trademark, obscenity, defamation, the right of privacy, false advertising and fraud.

You are responsible for complying with these Online Policies.  You are also responsible for the actions of others who may be using the Service under your account.  You must respond in a timely manner to complaints concerning misuse of the Service obtained from the Company.  If the Company is alerted to, or otherwise becomes aware of violations or potential violations of its Online Policies, the Company will take whatever reasonable measures it deems necessary and appropriate to stop or prevent those violations.

In addition to such laws and regulations, when using the Service you must use your best efforts to avoid interfering with any other person’s use and enjoyment of the Service. You must also ensure that your use of the Service is governed by the rules of proper Internet conduct.

Please use your best judgment, be respectful of other subscribers, and take the time to review the activities listed below. These activities are not proper Internet conduct and are prohibited activities on the Company’s Service.

(1) PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES.

For purposes of the Prohibited Activities, the term “information” means material of any type capable of being posted or transmitted on or through the Service, including material in print, graphic or pictorial form.

When using the Service:

(a) Defamation. You agree not to post or transmit on or through the Service any information that is defamatory with respect to a person, business, or other entity, product or service.

(b) Fraud. You agree not to post or transmit any fraudulent information on or through the Service. This means any information that you know or have reason to know is false or misleading, and that you intend for others to rely on.

(c) False Advertising. You agree not to post or transmit on or through the Service any advertising or promotional materials that contain false, deceptive, or misleading statements, claims or representations.

(d) Copyright Violations. You agree not to post or transmit on or through the Service any information that infringes another person’s or entity’s copyright in all or any part of the information.

REPEAT COPYRIGHT INFRINGER POLICY.  Mid-Rivers complies with the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act of 1998 (“Act”).  As required by the Act, we have adopted a policy to terminate services to account holders or subscribers who repeatedly infringe copyrights.  In the event that we receive a determination that any subscriber or account holder has infringed another’s copyright through the use of our system or network, we reserve the right to terminate service to that subscriber or account holder after receiving notice of any further copyright infringement by that subscriber or account holder.

Our repeat infringer policy is as follows:

• For the first notice received of a copyright infringement on an Internet account, the Account Owner will be contacted via email, letter, app notification, SMS, and/or telephone call with notice of the copyright infringement and a warning that future violations will result in the suspension or termination of Service on that account.
• If we receive a second copyright infringement notice regarding that same Internet account within a six-month period, we will send a final warning to the Account Owner via email, letter, app notification, SMS, and/or telephone call that future violations will result in suspension of Service on that account.
• If we receive a third copyright infringement notice regarding that same Internet account within a six-month period, we will suspend that Internet account’s Service, including email access on any usernames provided by the company, for 24 hours. Billing continues during the suspension period.
• If we receive a fourth copyright infringement notice regarding that same Internet account within a six-month period, we will suspend that Internet account’s Service for 30 days, including email access on any usernames provided by the company. Billing continues during the suspension period.
• For the fifth notice received of a copyright infringement on that same Internet account within a six-month period, we will permanently terminate Service to that account, including email access. Billing will also terminate at that time.
• Account Owners are responsible for insuring that the contact information the Company has on file is current and accurate. The Service may be temporarily disabled if the Company is unable to reach the Account Owner with notice of copyright infringements.
• All customers, both residential and business, are subject to this policy.
• Business customers providing legal redistribution of the Internet access service allowed under qualifying service plans (such as hotels, libraries, restaurants, etc. providing their customers with Internet or Wi-Fi services through approved redistribution agreements) are classified as “Service Providers” for copyright purposes and therefore have their own infringement obligations under the Act. Mid-Rivers will forward copyright infringement notices that we receive for these customers’ connections to the business for action under their own infringement policies.
• Mid-Rivers reserves the right to terminate Internet Service for copyright infringement at any time and may do so on an expedited basis when warranted by the volume and/or nature of the infringement incident(s).

Mid-Rivers accommodates and does not interfere with standard technical measures to identify and protect copyrighted works, subject to the limitations of the Act.

(e) Trade Secret Violations. You agree not to post or transmit on or through the Service any information that reveals trade secrets belonging to another person, business, service or other entity.

(f) Obscenity. You agree not to post or transmit any obscene or sexually explicit images intended to accomplish any unlawful purpose, or which in any way constitute or encourage an unlawful purpose or activity, or otherwise violate any local, state, or federal law, on or through the Service.

(g) Harassment, Threats and Abuse. You agree not to use the Service to harass, threaten, abuse, embarrass or cause distress, unwanted attention, or discomfort to any person or entity, by any means, including the use of vulgar, hateful, racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable information.

(h) False Pretenses. You agree not to use the Service to impersonate any person, including but not limited to, a Company official or any information provider, guide, host or communicate under a false name or a name that you are not entitled or authorized to use in all forms of online communications, including, but not limited to, screen names, subscriber profiles, chat dialogue and message posting.

(i) Chain Letters. You agree not to post or transmit chain letters, or letters or messages that offer a product or service based on the structure of a chain letter, on or through the Service.

(j) Inappropriate Content. You agree not to post or transmit on or through the Service information that is patently inappropriate material, e.g., information or topics not related to the topics focused on by the participants in a particular news group or mailing list.

(k) Disruptive Activities. You agree not to use the Service to disrupt the normal flow of online dialogue, or otherwise act in a manner that negatively affects other Subscribers, users, individuals or entities.

(l) Violations of Service Providers’ Rules. You agree not to use the Service to violate any operating rule, policy or guideline of any other online service provider or interactive service.

(m) Abuse of Company Procedures. You agree not to make false or unverified complaints against any Company subscriber, or otherwise abuse any of the Company’s Complaint Response Procedures.

(n) System Abuse. You agree not to abuse the Company’s system by causing any harm to the system so that it inhibits other users’ ability to effectively use the system.

(o) Reselling Service. You agree not to resell or redistribute internet access in any manner. The prohibition on resale or redistribution of access includes, but is not limited to the provision of electronic mail and web pages. The Company reserves the right to disconnect for failure to comply with any portion of this provision.

(p) Spam. With respect to electronic mail messages, you agree not to engage in sender address falsification, unauthorized relaying or sending, or permit to be sent on your behalf, to any mailing list, news group or other end-users: (1) “spam” or any other unsolicited, unwanted and/or un-requested mass or bulk distribution e-mail or posting, for commercial advertising or other purposes, or (2) any e-mail messages otherwise in violation of applicable laws regulating “spam” or similar transmissions.

(2) Content of Online Material.

The Company’s Service provides access to information, communications, software, photos, video, graphics, music, sounds, and other material and services located both on the Company’s computer servers and on the Internet (“Content”). You should be aware that the Internet contains Content, goods and services that you may find improper, obscene, or otherwise offensive. Such Content may not be appropriate for you or for any minors who may be accessing the Internet through your account.

As a matter of policy, the Company does not pre-screen Content placed on the Company’s computer servers by any of its subscribers. The Company does not have the practical ability to monitor, review, or restrict, prior to its transmission, Content on the Company servers which may violate the Company’s rules, nor can the Company ensure prompt editing or removal of actually or potentially violating Content after such Content has been posted on the Company’s servers. You may, therefore, receive offensive and unsolicited Content that the Company cannot control.

Although the Company retains the right to remove Content from the Company computer servers that violates its subscriber agreement, the Access Service provides access to users who are not a part of the Company. The Company does not have the capability to monitor, review, or restrict any Content made available by third parties on the Internet, nor to edit or remove any such Content after its posting on the Internet.

Accordingly, the Company cannot be responsible for any conduct, Content, goods, and services available on or through the Service. The Company suggests that concerned parents consider using one of the commercially available programs capable of restricting access to sexually explicit material on the Internet. However, no parental control software is perfect. Your use of such software is solely at your own risk. The Company makes no warranties or representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any parental control software or service.

(3) Privacy of Communications.

The Company intends to respect its Subscribers’ privacy and will not randomly monitor or disclose the contents of private e-mail or private chat room communications. However, you agree that the Company has the right, but not the obligation, to monitor or disclose the contents of private communication, if the Company, in its sole discretion, reasonably believes that such action is necessary: (1) to comply with applicable law or valid legal process; (2) to protect the Company’s rights or property; or (3) in emergencies when a person’s physical safety is at issue.

(4) Online Goods and Services.

The Company does not control, provide, operate, or take responsibility for any Content, goods, or services available on or through the Access Service. You may receive blind opportunity advertisements, pyramid schemes, and other “get rich quick” schemes on or through the Access Service. These should be avoided or approached with ample skepticism.

All such Content, goods, and services are made available by independent third parties and are not part of the Company or controlled by the Company. Please remember that the Company does not endorse, warrant, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, usefulness, quality, or availability of any Content, goods, or services available on or through the Access Service, and your use thereof is solely at your own risk.

You should use your best judgment and exercise caution when purchasing a product through the Access Service. The Company will not be a party to, or in any way be responsible for, monitoring any purchases or other transactions between you and any other persons providing Content, goods, or services on or through the Access Service. The Company assumes no responsibility for any such transactions and will not mediate disputes relating to such transactions. The Company disclaims any responsibility for any such transactions even where the Access Service features or displays a link with a particular World Wide Web site.

By using the Access Service you agree that neither the Company nor its affiliates shall be held responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any loss, liability of any nature, or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused by your use of, or reliance on, any Content, goods, or services available on or through the Access Service.

(5) Account Charges.

Your monthly account charges are payable in advance. Internet service is billed on the telecommunications statement, which is rendered on the 1st of each month, and is considered due and payable upon receipt. Internet billing consists of a line item for the monthly service plan and a line item for Internet usage (if applicable).

You are responsible for all activities and charges associated with your account. If any unauthorized charges are made on or through your account, you are responsible for such charges until you notify the Company of a breach of security by calling the Company at 1-800-452-2288. You should change your password immediately.

If any instrument received in payment is returned to the Company unpaid, your account will be considered to be in default, and in addition to the amount due, you will be subject to a returned check charge of $30.

(6) Complaint Response Procedures.

The Company’s dedication to customer service means that the Company takes seriously and responds to all complaints about its subscribers’ use of the Internet. This means complaints by both the Company’s subscribers and complaints by other Internet users. The Company believes that its customers should be able to enjoy full use of the Internet without interference by persons who use the Internet in an improper or unlawful manner.

The Company will respond to any complaint that involves online activities that are Prohibited Activities under the Company’s Online Policies.

The Company will follow the Complaint Response Procedures described below to respond to complaints from subscribers and others about the Company’s subscribers. The Company may issue warnings to its subscribers, suspend subscribers’ accounts and even cancel accounts when it learns of continuing improper activities.

If you have any questions regarding these policies, you can call the Company’s Customer Service Department at 406-485-3301.

Last Updated August 1, 2018