RBR Communications TERMS OF USE
Acceptable Use/Terms of use Policy for RBR Internet
Why is RBR providing this Policy to me?
RBR's goal is to provide its customers with the best Internet service possible. To help accomplish this, RBR has adopted this Acceptable Use Policy (the “Policy”). This Policy outlines acceptable use of the RBR Internet service (collectively, the “Service”).
This Policy is in addition to any restrictions or conditions contained in the RBR Agreement for Residential Services (the “Subscriber Agreement”).
All RBR Internet customers (the “customer,” “user,” “you,” or “your”) and all others who use the Service must comply with this Policy. Your failure, or others' failure, to comply with this Policy could result in the suspension or termination of your or their Service accounts.
Therefore, you should take steps to ensure that others you permit to use your Service are aware of this Policy and agree to abide by it. If you are unwilling to comply with this Policy, you must immediately stop all use of the Service and notify RBR so that it can close your account.
Does this Policy apply to my use of RBR-identified services inside and outside of my premises and in public places?
This Policy applies to your use of the Service if you are a RBR Internet customer who accesses RBR-provided, RBR-identified services inside or outside of your premises or in public places using an RBR Internet login and password.
How will I know when RBR changes this Policy and how do I report violations of it?
RBR may revise this Policy from time to time by posting a new version on the website at https://rbrcommunications.com/terms-of-use-legal or any successor URL(s) (the “RBR Website”). RBR will use reasonable efforts to make customers aware of any changes to this Policy, which may include sending email announcements or posting information on the RBR Website.
Revised versions of this Policy are effective immediately upon posting. Accordingly, customers of the Service should read any RBR announcements they receive and regularly visit the RBR Website and review this Policy to ensure that their activities conform to the most recent version. You can send questions regarding this Policy to, and report violations of it, including to report child exploitation or another child-related incident involving the Internet to https://rbrcommunications.com .
1. Prohibited Uses and Activities
What uses and activities does RBR prohibit?
In general, the Policy prohibits uses and activities involving the Service that are illegal, infringe the rights of others, or interfere with or diminish the use and enjoyment of the Service by others. For example, these prohibited uses and activities include, but are not limited to, using the Service, Customer Equipment, or the RBR Equipment, either individually or in combination with one another, to:
CONDUCT AND INFORMATION RESTRICTIONS to undertake or accomplish any unlawful purpose. This includes, but is not limited to, posting, storing, transmitting or disseminating information, data or material which is libelous, obscene, unlawful, threatening or defamatory, or which infringes the intellectual property rights of any person or entity, or which in any way constitutes or encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, or otherwise violate any local, state, federal, or non-U.S. law, order, or regulation;
o post, store, send, transmit, or disseminate any information or material which a reasonable person could deem to be unlawful;
o upload, post, publish, transmit, reproduce, create derivative works of, or distribute in any way information, software or other material obtained through the Service or otherwise that is protected by copyright or other proprietary right, without obtaining any required permission of the owner;
o transmit unsolicited bulk or commercial messages commonly known as “spam;”
o send very large numbers of copies of the same or substantially similar messages, empty messages, or messages which contain no substantive content, or send very large messages or files that disrupts a server, account, blog, newsgroup, chat, or similar service;
o initiate, perpetuate, or in any way participate in any pyramid or other illegal scheme;
o participate in the collection of very large numbers of email addresses, screen names, or other identifiers of others (without their prior consent), a practice sometimes known as spidering or harvesting, or participate in the use of software (including “spyware”) designed to facilitate this activity;
o collect responses from unsolicited bulk messages;
o falsify, alter, or remove message headers;
o falsify references to RBR or its network, by name or other identifier, in messages;
o impersonate any person or entity, engage in sender address falsification, forge anyone else’s digital or manual signature, or perform any other similar fraudulent activity (for example, “phishing”);
o violate the rules, regulations, terms of service, or policies applicable to any network, server, computer database, service, application, system, or website that you access or use;
TECHNICAL RESTRICTIONS
to access any other person’s computer or computer system, device, sensor, camera, network, software, or data without his or her knowledge and consent; breach the security of another user or system; or attempt to circumvent the user authentication or security of any host, network, or account. This includes, but is not limited to, accessing data not intended for you, logging into or making use of a server or account you are not expressly authorized to access, or probing the security of other hosts, networks, or accounts without express permission to do so;
o use or distribute tools or devices designed or used for compromising security or whose use is otherwise unauthorized, such as password guessing programs, decoders, password gatherers, keystroke loggers, analyzers, cracking tools, packet sniffers, encryption circumvention devices, or Trojan Horse programs. Unauthorized port scanning is strictly prohibited;
o copy, distribute, or sublicense any proprietary software provided in connection with the Service by RBR or any third party, except that you may make one copy of each software program for back-up purposes only;
o distribute programs that make unauthorized changes to software (cracks);
o use or run dedicated, stand-alone equipment or servers from the Premises that provide network content or any other services to anyone outside of your Premises local area network (“Premises LAN”), also commonly referred to as public services or servers. Examples of prohibited equipment and servers include, but are not limited to, email, web hosting, file sharing, and proxy services and servers;
o use or run programs, devices, or equipment from the Premises that provide network content or any other services to anyone outside of your Premises LAN, except for your personal and non-commercial residential use;
o service, alter, modify, or tamper with the RBR Equipment or Service or permit any other person to do the same who is not authorized by RBR;
NETWORK AND USAGE RESTRICTIONS
to use the Service for any purpose other than personal and non-commercial residential use (except for your individual use for telecommuting);
o use the Service for operation as an Internet service provider or for any business, other legal entity, or organization purpose (whether or not for profit);
o restrict, inhibit, or otherwise interfere, regardless of intent, purpose or knowledge, with the ability of any other person to use or enjoy the Service (except for tools for safety and security functions such as parental controls, for example), including, without limitation, posting or transmitting any information or software which contains a worm, virus, or other harmful feature, or
o impede others’ ability to use, send, or retrieve information using the Service;
o restrict, inhibit, interfere with, or otherwise disrupt or cause a performance degradation, regardless of intent, purpose or knowledge, to the Service or any RBR (or RBR supplier) host, server, backbone network, node or service, or otherwise cause a performance degradation to any RBR (or RBR supplier) facilities used to deliver the Service;
o resell the Service or otherwise make available to anyone outside the Premises the ability to use the Service (for example, through WiFi or other methods of networking), in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, with the sole exception of your use of RBR-provided WiFi service in accordance with its then-current terms and policies;
o connect the RBR Equipment to any computer or device outside of your Premises;
o interfere with computer networking or telecommunications service to any user, host or network, including, without limitation, denial of service attacks, flooding of a network, overloading a service, improper seizing and abusing operator privileges, and attempts to “crash” a host; or
o access and use the Service with anything other than a dynamic Internet Protocol (“IP”) address that adheres to the dynamic host configuration protocol (“DHCP”). You may not configure the Service or any related equipment to access or use a static IP address or use any protocol other than DHCP unless you are subject to a Service plan that expressly permits you to do so.
2. Customer Conduct and Features of the Service
What obligations do I have under this Policy?
You are responsible for your own compliance with this Policy. You are also responsible for any use or misuse of the Service that violates this Policy by anyone else you permit to access the Service (such as a friend, family member, or guest) with one exception: In cases where you permit others to access your RBR-provided, RBR-identified Internet Service with their own login information, those users are responsible for complying with all then-current terms and policies that apply to their access.
RBR recommends against enabling file or printer sharing unless you do so in strict compliance with all security recommendations and features provided by RBR and the manufacturer of the applicable file or printer sharing devices. Any files or devices you choose to make available for shared access on a home LAN, for example, should be protected with a strong password or as otherwise appropriate.
In all cases, you are solely responsible for the security of any device you connect to the Service, including third party devices that provide or include any communications services, including any data stored or shared on that device. It is also your responsibility to secure the Customer Equipment and any other Premises equipment or programs not provided by RBR that connect to the Service from external threats such as viruses, spam, bot nets, and other methods of intrusion.
How does RBR address inappropriate content and transmissions?
RBR reserves the right to refuse to transmit or post, and to remove or block, any information or materials, in whole or in part, that it, in its sole discretion, deems to be in violation of Sections I or II of this Policy, or otherwise harmful to RBR’s network or customers using the Service, regardless of whether this material or its dissemination is unlawful so long as it violates this Policy. Neither RBR nor any of its affiliates, suppliers, or agents have any obligation to monitor transmissions or postings (including, but not limited to, email, file transfer, blog, newsgroup, and instant message transmissions) made on the Service. However, RBR and its affiliates, suppliers, and agents have the right to monitor these transmissions and postings from time to time for violations of this Policy and to disclose, block, or remove them in accordance with this Policy, the Subscriber Agreement, and applicable law.
What requirements apply to electronic mail?
The Service may not be used to communicate or distribute email or other forms of communications in violation of Section I of this Policy. As described below in Section III of this Policy, RBR uses reasonable network management tools and techniques to protect customers from receiving spam and from sending spam (often without their knowledge over an infected computer).
RBR is not responsible for deleting or forwarding any email sent to the wrong email address by you or by someone else trying to send email to you. RBR is also not responsible for forwarding email sent to any account that has been suspended or terminated. This email will be returned to the sender, ignored, deleted, or stored temporarily at RBR’s sole discretion. If you cancel or terminate your Service account for any reason, all email associated with that account (and any secondary accounts) may be permanently deleted as well.
If RBR believes in its sole discretion that any subscriber name, account name, or email address (collectively, an “identifier”) on the Service may be used for, or is being used for, any misleading, fraudulent, or other improper or illegal purpose, RBR (i) reserves the right to block access to and prevent the use of any of these identifiers and (ii) may at any time require any customer to change his or her identifier. In addition, RBR may at any time reserve any identifiers on the Service for its own purposes.
3. Network Management
Why does RBR manage its network?
RBR manages its network with one goal: to deliver the best possible broadband Internet experience to all of its customers. High-speed bandwidth and network resources are not unlimited. Managing the network is essential as RBR works to promote the use and enjoyment of the Internet by all of its customers. The company uses reasonable network management practices that are consistent with industry standards. RBR tries to use tools and technologies that are minimally intrusive and, in its independent judgment guided by industry experience, among the best in class. Of course, the company’s network management practices will change and evolve along with the uses of the Internet and the challenges and threats on the Internet.
The need to engage in network management is not limited to RBR. In fact, all large Internet service providers manage their networks. Many of them use the same or similar tools that RBR does. If the company didn’t manage its network, its customers would be subject to the negative effects of spam, viruses, security attacks, network congestion, and other risks and degradations of service. By engaging in responsible network management including enforcement of this Policy, RBR can deliver the best possible broadband Internet experience to all of its customers.
How does RBR manage its network?
RBR uses various tools and techniques to manage its network, deliver the Service, and ensure compliance with this Policy and the Subscriber Agreement. These tools and techniques are dynamic, like the network and its usage, and can and do change frequently. For example, these network management activities may include (i) identifying spam and preventing its delivery to customer email accounts, (ii) detecting malicious Internet traffic and preventing the distribution of viruses or other harmful code or content, (iii) temporarily lowering the priority of traffic for users who are the top contributors to current network congestion, and (iv) using other tools and techniques that RBR may be required to implement in order to meet its goal of delivering the best possible broadband Internet experience to all of its customers.
4. Data Consumption
What data consumption requirements apply to the Service?
RBR applies a monthly data consumption threshold to RBR Internet accounts. The company retains the right to trial or adopt a different data consumption threshold or other usage plan for the Service at any time. If we do this we will notify customers and, if necessary, post an updated version of this Policy.
Violation of this Acceptable Use Policy
What happens if you violate this Policy?
RBR reserves the right immediately to suspend or apply other interim measures in its sole discretion to your Service, or terminate your Service account and terminate the Subscriber Agreement if you violate the terms of this Policy or the Subscriber Agreement, or if anyone else you permit to access the Service violates this Policy. In that event, RBR also reserves the right to downgrade, suspend, or terminate other RBR services you receive.
RBR does not routinely monitor the activity of individual Service accounts for violations of this Policy, except for determining aggregate data consumption in connection with Section IV of this Policy. However, in the company’s efforts to promote good citizenship within the Internet community, it will respond appropriately if it becomes aware of inappropriate use of the Service. RBR has no obligation to monitor the Service and/or the network. RBR and its suppliers reserve the right at any time to monitor bandwidth, usage, transmissions, and content in order to, among other things, operate the Service; identify violations of this Policy; and/or protect the network, the Service and RBR users.
RBR prefers to inform customers of inappropriate activities and give them a reasonable period of time in which to take corrective action. RBR also prefers to have customers directly resolve any disputes or disagreements they may have with others, whether customers or not, without RBR’s intervention. However, if the Service is used in a way that RBR or its suppliers, in their sole discretion, believe violates this Policy, RBR or its suppliers may take any responsive actions they deem appropriate under the circumstances with or without notice. These actions include, but are not limited to, temporary or permanent removal of content, filtering of Internet transmissions, and the immediate suspension or termination of all or any portion of the Service. Neither RBR nor its affiliates, suppliers, or agents will have any liability for any of these responsive actions. These actions are not RBR’s exclusive remedies and RBR may take any other legal or technical actions it deems appropriate with or without notice.
RBR reserves the right to investigate suspected violations of this Policy, including the gathering of information from the user or users involved and the complaining party, if any, and examination of material and data on RBR’s servers and network. During an investigation, RBR may suspend the account or accounts involved and/or remove or block material that potentially violates this Policy. You expressly authorize and consent to RBR and its suppliers cooperating with (i) law enforcement authorities in the investigation of suspected legal violations, and (ii) and system administrators at other Internet service providers or other network or computing facilities in order to enforce this Policy. Upon termination of your Service account, RBR is authorized to delete any files, programs, data, email and other messages associated with your account (and any secondary accounts).
5. Copyright
What is RBR’s DMCA policy?
The DMCA Policy
RBR Communications, LLC (“RBR,” “we,” or “our”) is committed to complying with U.S. copyright and related laws, and expects all of our customers, users, and visitors (collectively and each individually, “users”) to comply with these laws. Users may not store any material or content on, or access, share, or disseminate any material or content over, any of our product or service offerings that in any manner that infringes third party intellectual property rights, including U.S. copyright rights.
We comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and provide a method for copyright owners to communicate information about alleged infringements to us, and for us to inform our users about them, as further described below. Users may receive notices or alerts if their RBR account is identified by a copyright owner as having been used in connection with acts of alleged copyright infringement.
RBR maintains a policy to terminate a RBR account, in appropriate circumstances, provided to any user who is a repeat infringer of third party copyright rights under our repeat infringer policy. Our policy includes graduated or escalated alerts of alleged infringements, required action by users for certain alerts, suspension of a RBR product or service offering, the application of other interim measures determined in RBR’s sole discretion to the offering, and, in appropriate circumstances, termination of the offering (and other services provided by RBR to the user). We also reserve the right to terminate our offerings at any time with or without notice for any affected user who we, in our sole discretion, believe is infringing any copyright or other intellectual property rights.
If you are the owner of a copyrighted work who believes that your rights under U.S. copyright law have been infringed by any material on our offerings, you can report that to us by sending our authorized agent a notification of claimed infringement. When we receive a notice of claimed infringement that satisfies the requirements of the DMCA, we will respond expeditiously to either directly or indirectly (i) remove the allegedly infringing work(s) residing on our offerings or (ii) disable access to the work(s) residing on our offerings, if applicable. We will also notify the affected user when we take any of these actions. Copyright owners should know that in some cases users of our offerings may be unregistered and anonymous, such as visitors to a website. In those cases, our ability to process and act on a DMCA notification may be limited or unavailable.
Send notifications of claimed copyright infringement only to:
DMCA Notifications
PO BOX 201
CLEARWATER, MN 55320
Phone: 844-595-9995
Email: support1@rbrcommunications.com
Copyright owners may use their own notification of claimed infringement form that satisfies the requirements of Section 512(c)(3) of the U.S. Copyright Act. Note: Under the DMCA, anyone who knowingly makes misrepresentations regarding alleged copyright infringement may be liable to RBR, the alleged infringer, and the affected copyright owner for any damages incurred in connection with the removal, blocking, or replacement of allegedly infringing material.
If a user receives a DMCA notification of alleged infringement, and believes in good faith that the allegedly infringing works have been removed or blocked by mistake or misidentification, then that user may send us a counter notification. When we receive a counter notification that satisfies the requirements of the DMCA, we will provide a copy of it to the person who sent the original infringement notification and will follow the DMCA’s procedures with respect to received counter notifications. In all events, all users expressly agree that RBR will not be a party to any disputes or lawsuits regarding alleged copyright infringement.
Users may file counter notifications with RBR’s designated agent using the contact information shown above. All counter notifications must satisfy the requirements of Section 512(g)(3) of the U.S. Copyright Act.
Revised and effective: January 1, 2022
Effective January 1, 2022:
A $20.00 Service Fee will be added to all NSF Returned Checks. Other Fees and service charges may be added at any time on a case by case bases.