City of Chattanooga's Public Internet Use and Wireless Access Policy

The City of Chattanooga ("City") offers free public wireless service to access the Internet through NOOGANET, the City's Guest Wireless (HotSpot) Access. NOOGANET allows persons with wireless-enabled devices to connect to the Internet through the City's network resources. The City asks that users of NOOGANET ("Users") abide by its Public Internet Use and Wireless Access Policy ("the Policy"), as set forth herein. By your use of NOOGANET, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to abide by the Policy.

I. Introduction

The City is committed to serving the information access needs of all members of the community. The City is helping to bridge the digital divide in our community by providing to the public free wireless service to access the Internet ("the Service").

Although the Internet generally provides access to information that is valuable and enlightening, the User may encounter information that is controversial, offensive, disturbing, erroneous or illegal. The City does not actively monitor and has no control over the information available on the Internet and is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or quality of information retrieved or images viewed.

II. Terms and Conditions

A. Use of the Service

The following terms and conditions apply to use of the Service:

1. Internet resources accessible through the Service are provided equally to all Users.
2. There is no guarantee of privacy associated with any User's use of the Service.
3. Your wireless-enabled device used to access the Internet will be logged and associated with your browsing.
4. The Service is for personal use only; it may not be used for commercial purposes.
5. Users may download and upload files to or from their personal devices, but any damage caused through that practice is not the responsibility of the City.
6. The City does not supply electrical power for Users' equipment and does not have printers available for Users of the Service.
7. The City reserves the right to impose time, place or manner restrictions on the viewing of certain materials accessed through the Service.
8. The City may suspend or terminate your use of the Service if it reasonably believes that you are in violation of any provision of this Policy.
9. Persons who use the Service for abusive, malicious or illegal activity are subject to prosecution.
10. The City reserves the right to withdraw the Service, alter any terms or conditions of the Service, change access codes, usernames, passwords or other security information used to access the service or make any other modifications related to the Service at any time.

B. Minors

Users under the age of eighteen (18) years must have a parent or legal guardian read and agree to the Policy before the minor may use the Service. Parents or legal guardians are responsible for the Internet information selected and/or accessed by their children. The City is not responsible for materials available on the Internet that may be viewed by minors.

C. Prohibited Uses

The Service may not be used for any purpose that violates federal, state or local laws. Users also must comply with the City's ethical standards in their usage of the Service. Users are prohibited from using the Service to access Internet sites or send or receive emails that are illegal, unethical, or inappropriate, including but not limited to those which:

1. Are harassing, threatening or defamatory;
2. Contain obscene, profane, pornographic or otherwise offensive language or material;
3. Involve child pornography, in which case law enforcement authorities will be notified;
4. Destroy or damage equipment, software, or data belonging to the City or other Users;
5. Disrupt, monitor without authorization or unnecessarily impede electronic communication or the computing activities of others;
6. Copy without authorization copyrighted material;
7. Engage in any activity that may be deemed of a terrorist nature;
8. Violate the City's or another User's computer system security, privacy or software agreements; or
9. Use without authorization the computer accounts, access codes, or network identification numbers assigned to others.

D. Cooperative Use

The City endorses cooperative computing by its staff and the community. Users can facilitate cooperative computing by:

1. Regular deletion of unneeded files from one's accounts on shared computing resources;
2. Refraining from overuse of interactive network facilities;
3. Refraining from use of sounds and visuals, which might be disruptive to others; and
4. Refraining from use of any computing resource in an irresponsible manner.

III. Disclaimer of Liability

The City is not responsible for loss of, damage to, or theft of a User's data, personal information, software or hardware or for changes to configuration settings, security or data files caused by or resulting from use of the Service. The City is not responsible for any damage from viruses, Trojans, worms, or any other malicious programs transmitted to a User's device through the Service. Users are encouraged to have current anti-virus software running on their personal wireless devices.

Wireless hotspots are not secure environments. Information sent to or from your wireless device can be captured by anyone with the appropriate knowledge and software. The City is not responsible for the security of a User's personal information.

The City does not guarantee Internet speed or quality of the connection. Nor does the City make any warranty, expressed or implied, for the timeliness, accuracy, or usefulness for any particular purpose of information accessed via the Internet.

This Policy was adopted by the Wi-Fi Policy & Deployment Group in conjunction with the City of Chattanooga's Department of Information Technology. It may be amended as needed without prior notice.