Internet Statutes

NSFNET Backbone Services Acceptable Use Policy.

General Principle:

NSFNET Backbone services are provided to support open research and education in and among US research and instructional institutions, plus research arms of for-profit firms when engaged in open scholarly communication and research. Use for other purposes is not acceptable.

Specifically acceptable uses:

  1. Communication with foreign researchers and educators in connection with research or instruction, as long as any network that the foreign user employs for such communication provides reciprocal access to US researchers and educators.
  2. Communication and exchange for professional development, to maintain currency, or to debate issues in a field or subfield of knowledge.
  3. Use for disciplinary-society, university-association, government-advisory, or standards activities related to the user's research and instructional activities.
  4. Use in applying for or administering grants or contracts for research or instruction, but not for other fundraising or public relations activities.
  5. Any other administrative communications or activities in direct support of research and instruction.
  6. Announcements of new products or services for use in research or instruction, but not advertising of any kind.
  7. Any traffic originating from a network of another member agency of the Federal Networking Council if the traffic meets the acceptable use policy of that agency.
  8. Communication incidental to otherwise acceptable use, except for illegal or specifically unacceptable use.

Unacceptable uses:

  1. Use for for-profit activities (consulting for pay, sales or administration of campus stores, sale of tickets to sports events, and so on) or use by for-profit institutions unless covered by the General Principle or as a specifically acceptable use.
  2. Extensive use for private or personal business.