Except insofar as a separate written DSL or other Internet connectivity
agreement applies between the account holder and Access US, this agreement
("Agreement") represents the complete agreement and understanding between
Access
US and the account holder. To the extent of any conflict between this Agreement
and any other written agreement between Access US and the account holder, the
terms of this Agreement shall govern and supersede those of any such other
agreements. The terms of this Agreement supersede the terms of any oral
agreement between Access US and the account holder. Upon notice either
published
on-line on Access US's web site or delivered by mail or email to an account
holder, Access US may modify the terms of this Agreement and/or modify the
prices, as well as discontinue or change the service offered.
1.0 provisioning of
services
1.1 Access US will provide Internet connectivity to individual account
holders in exchange for the payment of fees (either pursuant to a separate
written agreement or in accordance with Access US' then standard rates) and
compliance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
1.2 Rendering of the Internet connectivity services shall commence for
billing purposes when account holder's login and password capability have been
activated providing reasonable access to that account. Access US is not
responsible for an account holder's inability to access the account services
because of any action or equipment failure outside the control of Access US.
All
account holders are responsible for ensuring their equipment meets the Access
US' minimum system requirements, as updated by Access US from time to time.
Access US makes no representations or warranties regarding the service to be
provided pursuant to this Agreement.
1.3 Access US Internet connectivity service may permit access to the complete
USENET discussion groups (newsgroups). Some of the USENET content may contain
language or pictures about subjects intended for adult audiences ("Adult
Content"). Access US shall not be responsible for the content accessible via
USENET or accessible via the Internet generally. The account holder shall be
responsible for monitoring the use of USENET and the Internet to ensure that
minors do not view Adult Content. If the account holder is under the age of
eighteen (18), the account holder shall obtain parental consent before viewing
any Adult Content.
1.4 Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement or any agreement between
Access US and any account holder to the contrary, Access US may, whether via
email or otherwise, offer to any account holder any products or services of
Access US, any of Access US' affiliates, or any entity with which Access US has
a marketing agreement.
2.0 use of material
2.1 Public Domain materials (e.g.: images, text, and programs) may be
downloaded or uploaded using Access US' services. Account holders may also
re-distribute materials in the public domain. The account holder assumes all
risks with regard to the use or redistribution of any such materials.
2.2. Materials accessible via the Internet such as text, images, and programs
may be subject to the intellectual property rights of third parties and
accordingly subject to applicable laws or treaties. The use or distribution of
such materials may be limited or prohibited. Account holders shall comply with
all applicable laws and treaties governing the use, modification, or
distribution of any intellectual property.
3.0 use of services
3.1 Access US user accounts are for individual users. The account holder
therefore agrees not to share the password of the account with any third party.
3.2 The account holder agrees to maintain a secure password to the account.
Secure passwords are those that are not easily guessed, include a combination
of
uppercase, lowercase, and punctuation characters, are at least 6 characters in
length, and cannot be found in direct or reverse order in a dictionary without
regard to the language of the dictionary.
3.3 The account holder agrees not to use any process, program, or tool via
Access US' Internet connectivity services for guessing the passwords of account
holders on Access US or other systems. The account holder agrees not to use
Access US services to make unauthorized attempts to access the systems and
networks of Access US or other third parties.
3.4 The account holder agrees to use the services provided by Access US only
as permitted by applicable local, state, and federal laws. The account holder
agrees, therefore, not to use these services to conduct any business or
activity
or solicit the performance of any business or activity that is prohibited by
law.
3.5 Access US' services may be used by account holders to conduct legal
businesses. These businesses, however, may not interfere with or adversely
affect the use of Access US' services by other account holders. Access US
services may not be used to send unsolicited advertising or promotional
materials to other network users or to any third parties. Subject to the
limitations set forth herein, electronic mail and appropriate USENET newsgroups
may be used in the conduct of legitimate businesses.
3.6 Access US does not guarantee that any dialup number will be charged as a
local call on an account holder's local telephone service plan. The account
holder assumes the sole responsibility for determining whether or not an Access
US dialup telephone number fits into their local calling plan with their local
telephone service provider. The account holder shall be solely responsible for
any long distance telephone charges that are incurred while using Access US'
dialup telephone numbers.
3.7 The account holder acknowledges that there are set limitations to the
size of email messages being sent, to the number of email recipients on any one
email message and to the amount of space allotted for storing email backup on
Access US' mail server. The account holder agrees to comply with these
limitations. Access US reserves the right to change its limitation policies
without prior notice. The current limitations are as follows:
(i) Any one
email message cannot exceed 10 MB in size;
(ii) Any one email message cannot
have more than 99 recipients; and
(iii) The maximum amount of space allotted
for email storage on Access US' mail server is 30MB.
Access US will not be responsible for notifying an account holder when the
allotted storage limitation has been reached, and Access US may intercept,
block, or cap the account holder's use of Access US' services if the foregoing
limits are exceeded.
4.0 indemnification/representations
4.1 The account holder acknowledges the information accessible via Access US'
services may not be accurate. Access US makes no warranty of any kind, whether
expressed or implied, regarding the quality, accuracy, or validity, of the data
and/or information accessible via Access US' services. Use of information
obtained via the services provided by Access US or any of the Access US
affiliates is at the risk of the account holder.
4.2 The account holder agrees to indemnify, defend and hold Access US, its
affiliates, and the officers, directors, employees, agents, successors and
assigns of any of them (collectively referenced herein as "Access US
Affiliates") harmless from any claims, causes of action or damages, whether
direct or indirect, including, without limitation, attorneys' fees, arising or
resulting from the use of the services provided by Access US or any Access US
affiliate to the account holder.
4.3 Neither Access US nor any Access US affiliates shall be held liable for
any interruption or termination of any account holder's service regardless of
the cause or circumstances of such interruption or termination.
4.4 Notwithstanding any provision hereof to the contrary: (i) neither Access
US nor any Access US Affiliates shall be liable to account holder, account
holder's affiliates, or to the officers, directors, employees, agents,
successors, or assigns of any of them (if applicable) or to any other user of
the account (collectively "Account Holder Party") for any indirect or
consequential damages of any nature; and (ii) Access US shall not, in any event
or in any circumstance whatsoever, be liable to any Account Holder Party for
any
damages of any nature in excess of the amount paid by the account holder to
Access US for its services during the prior twelve (12) month period.
5.0 payment of fees
and penalties
5.1 Access US billing cycles vary depending upon the payment type arranged,
as per the following:
Access US user accounts paid by credit card are billed monthly, quarterly (3
months), semi-annually (6 months) or yearly (12 months) in advance. These
payments are automatically debited to the account holders' credit card without
prior notice.
Access US user accounts paid by
check debit are billed monthly, quarterly (3 months), semi-annually (6 months)
or yearly (12 months) in advance. These payments are automatically debited to
the account holders' checking account without prior notice.
Accounts requiring a paper
invoice or use a non-automated method of payment will be charged a $2.00 fee
per
billing cycle.
5.2 Accounts more than 10 days
past due will be charged a $5.00 late fee on any past due balance. A $5.00 fee
will also be charged every 30 days thereafter on any remaining past due
balances, provided that the applicable interest rate charged shall not, in any
event, exceed the maximum rate legally permissible.
5.3 Account holders will be
charged a $28.00 fee for every check returned due to insufficient funds or
because of any holds placed on the account by either the account holder or the
account holder's banking institution. This fee will also be charged to any
credit card or check debit accounts declined because of insufficient funds or
because of any holds placed on the account by either the account holder or the
account holder's banking institution.
5.4 Accounts that become
delinquent will be put on "accounting lock" and subsequently suspended from
use.
Access US accounts will continue to accrue charges while they are locked.
5.5 Accounts that are suspended
due to an accounting lock will not be restored until the total balance is paid
in full. Suspended accounts will only be unlocked during the hours of 8 AM - 5
PM Monday -Friday, Central Time.
5.6 All accounts that have been
suspended due to either accounting lock or customer request, will be subject to
a $10.00 reactivation fee, along with the back balance and the pre-paid fees
for
the new billing cycle. Accounts left in
a suspended state will be cancelled after 60 days.
5.7 The account holder agrees to
pay to Access US when due all applicable fees for the services provided by
Access US.
6.0 account
cancellations
6.1 Cancellation requests for
Access US accounts must be received in writing via fax sent to 314-655-7701
ATTN: Cancellations Department, via email sent to cancel@accessus.net, or via
postal service sent to Access US, ATTN: Cancellations Department, 712 N. 2nd
Street, Suite 300, Saint Louis, MO 63102-2550.
6.2 Cancellation requests
received will be first applied to the next complete, regularly billing month in
accordance with the account holder's regular billing cycle and anniversary
date.
Cancellation notices sent during a regularly occurring billing month shall not
be effective until the start of the next regularly occurring billing month.
6.3 Annual billing accounts and
semi-annual billing accounts are awarded a savings for signing up under these
plans. If either an annual or semi-annual billing account is closed prior to
its
respective annual or semi-annual billing period, the customer agrees to pay the
difference in the cost savings awarded when the account was opened.
6.4 Semi-annual billing accounts
that are cancelled prior to the end of their billing cycle will be charged a
$15.00 early termination fee.Accounts
under contract are subject to the contractual obligations stated within the
contract.The purpose of this fee is to
accommodate the difference for the special savings awarded for annual paying
customers and for the administration associated with processing an early
termination on a semi-annual account.
6.5 DSL, T1, ISDN, Web hosting
and frame relay accounts that are canceled are subject to the contractual
obligations stated within the contract.
6.6 Access US reserves the right
to pursue the collection of any unpaid fees, whether attributable to the period
before or after the date of cancellation, regardless of the reason for
cancellation.
6.7 Refunds for prepaid services
are distributed once per calendar month and are subject to contractual
obligations as well as to the cancellation requirements stated within the
acceptable use policy.
7.0 abuse of services
7.1 Any use of Access US services that is unlawful or that disrupts the
normal use of the network for other Access US users or users on other networks
shall constitute an abuse of Access US services.
7.2 Personal dial-in accounts are for the use by ONE person individually with
reasonable use. Reasonable use is defined as the use by one person sitting at a
computer actually using the service in an interactive manner. Leaving
connections idle, taking any action to maintain the connection other than
continuous interactive use, leaving connections online for others' use, and /or
sharing accounts constitutes an abuse of Access US service.
7.3 Personal dial-in accounts are for the use of 150 or less hours per month.
Any personal dial-in activity over 150 hours per month can be considered an
abuse of Access US service. Access US reserves the right to impose additional
service charges and/or discontinue service to customers who exceed reasonable
use limits. Excessive commercial use or excessive use by other groups of
individuals is strictly prohibited.
7.4 Access US defines any reference to the use of the word 'unlimited' to
mean unlimited as to time predicated on all usage time to be done in an
interactive matter during which the user is continually interfacing with their
computer. This use is intended to be personal and periodic. The Service is not
offered or designed to provide an "always on" or "always connected" capability.
You agree that Access US reserves and is granted the right in its complete and
sole discretion to establish general operating practices to maximize the
operation and availability of its network for the greatest benefit of its
customers or members, taken as a whole.
7.5 Access US retains the right at its sole discretion to make changes to
Access US Services, including but not limited to its fees and billing methods
and the amount of time a user may access the Internet for a specified fee, or
to
discontinue some or any of the Access US Services.
7.6 You acknowledge that Access US may implement prioritization practices in
connection with accessing certain Internet Services and that your ability to
establish and maintain a connection to the applicable Service may be limited.
You also acknowledge that any limits established may differ for different
portions of the Services and may be set at different levels for subscribers
based on factors determined in Access US' sole discretion which may include,
but
is not limited to; chosen service level, specific usage patterns, geographic
location, or any other factors.
7.7 Without a separate hosting agreement with Access US, the use of World
Wide Web pages for other than noncommercial use constitutes an abuse of Access
US' services. Unsolicited advertising, promotion of products, goods, services,
companies, or persons constitute abuses of Access US' services.
7.8 Use of materials in a manner that violates the intellectual property
rights of others to such materials without the permission of the owner(s) of
such intellectual property constitutes and abuse of Access US' services.
7.9 Use of sexually explicit or obscene material on World Wide Web pages via
Access US services including, without limitation, any such use that is in
violation of applicable laws or treaties constitutes an abuse of Access US'
services.
7.10 Running IRC automation programs (commonly known as "bots") on Access US
systems or on other IRC servers via the Access US services constitutes an abuse
of Access US' services.
7.11 Distribution of e-mail to non-consenting third parties constitutes an
abuse of Access US' services.
7.12 Distribution of unsolicited commercial e-mail or other advertising
constitutes an abuse of Access US' services.
7.13 Advertising any Access US World Wide Web site or e-mail address via
unsolicited communications to third parties including, without limitation, any
non-consenting parties constitutes an abuse of Access US' services.
7.14 Posting off-topic material to a USENET newsgroup constitutes an abuse of
Access US' services. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions list) of each
newsgroup
determines the topic of the newsgroup.
7.15 Posting messages that have identical or similar content to more than 15
USENET newsgroups (commonly known as cross-posting) constitutes an abuse of
Access US' services.
7.16 Any profane language used or threatening remarks made while speaking to
or writing to any Access US representative constitutes an abuse of Access US'
services.
7.17 Any breach by the account holder or any user of the account holder's
account of the terms of this Agreement shall constitute an abuse of Access US'
services.
7.18 Upon the occurrence of any abuse of Access US' services as referenced
above by the account holder or any person using the account of the account
holder, Access US' services to the account holder may be suspended and/or
terminated without notice; and/or, at Access US' election, a $250.00 service
fee
may be charged to the account holder.
7.19 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or any other
agreement between Access US and the account holder to the contrary, Access US
may, in its sole and absolute discretion, terminate its services provided to
any
account holder at any time and for any reason or no reason, whether with or
without notice and whether with or without cause.