Overview

Our Acceptable Use Policy is designed to make sure that your broadband service is quick and reliable whenever you use it from one day to the next.

A minority of customers use peer to peer or file sharing software, which constantly sends and receives video or other very large files, over a large amount of time. This activity uses a large amount of bandwidth which can have a dramatic effect on the traffic in our network and the demand on the exchanges, thus having a detrimental effect on the service our customers can receive.

We frown upon anything that causes constant excessive use of our network, therefore we have implemented the following policy.

This policy will be implemented in the following way:

We believe that this is the fairest way of guaranteeing a quality and reliable service to all of our customers, whenever you need it.

Am I Likely To Be Affected?

If you don't use any peer to peer or file sharing software, it is unlikely that you will ever be affected by this policy. If you are affected, we will contact you by email to let you know that your usage at peak hours is excessive and is affecting the demand on the network. This email will be sent to your gradwell email address, and other addresses that you have supplied to us. It will contain advice on how to reduce your usage.

If, your usage is still excessive, we will contact you again to ask you to reduce your bandwidth during peak hours. If we have to contact you on a third occasion, it will be to advise you that we are restricting your bandwidth during peak hours for the benefit of our other customers.

What Happens If I Am Affected?

During peak hours, all customers affected by this policy, will share bandwidth with each other and be separated from the other customers on the network. The amount of bandwidth available for affected customers will be at least as much as for those customers unaffected by the policy.

The speed that affected customers experience when downloading at peak hours will therefore depend on what these customers are doing. If they are browsing the internet or downloading email, they will experience normal broadband speed. However, if they are using peer to peer software they will experience slow broadband speed.

Email

Gradwell forbids the sending or uploading of unsolicited emails, advertising or promotional materials offering to sell any goods or services, or conducting or forwarding surveys, contests or chain letters.

Account holders are permitted to send marketing communications in accordance with the “privacy and electronic communications regulations 2003” if sent in batches of no more than 50 emails at any time, each individual campaign being sent to no more than 500 recipients with no more than 5 campaigns per month.

Malicious Spyware And Viruses

If your computer equipment has become infected with any form of malicious code, intended to cause damage or harm to user’s machines or our network, you must make reasonable attempts to remove all traces from your equipment.

Any machine to harbor such code is in a position to spread across our network and others. This if in a position to get out of hand could cause a security risk to our network and customers, we will therefore be in a position to terminate your broadband connection, until we are satisfied that your machines are free from such code and the security risk is no longer apparent.

Gradwell holds the right to suspend or cancel any account using its ADSL lines in any manner it deems unacceptable or illegal. This includes, but is not limited to peer to peer file sharing of material covered by copyright, email abuse, port scanning and attempting unauthorized access to secured networks.

By accepting our terms and conditions, you agree to be bound by this policy.