Acceptable Use Policy

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") defines the standards of responsible and lawful conduct required of all Vast Networks customers, users, and anyone accessing our network or services. This AUP is incorporated into and forms part of your Terms of Service agreement with Vast Networks.

Vast Networks provides dedicated fiber infrastructure and hosted VoIP services to commercial organizations. The integrity, performance, and security of our network depend on every customer using Services responsibly. Violations of this AUP may result in immediate suspension or termination of service.

1. Prohibited Activities

The following activities are strictly prohibited on the Vast Networks network:

Illegal Activity

• Transmitting, storing, or distributing material that violates any applicable federal, state, or local law or regulation
• Conducting unauthorized access to any computer system, network, or data (hacking, cracking, or exploitation)
• Distributing malware, ransomware, spyware, viruses, trojans, or any malicious code
• Engaging in or facilitating identity theft, phishing, or fraud
• Transmitting or storing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) — any such activity will be reported immediately to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and law enforcement
• Violating export control laws or sanctions administered by OFAC or similar authorities

Network Abuse

• Launching denial-of-service (DoS) or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against any system, network, or user
• Port scanning, packet sniffing, or network probing of systems without explicit authorization from the system owner
• Operating open proxies, open relays, or anonymous communication services intended to obscure the origin of malicious activity
• Intentionally consuming excessive bandwidth that degrades service quality for other customers (bandwidth shaping or QoS measures may be applied in response)
• Spoofing IP addresses or forging network packet headers
• Intercepting or monitoring network traffic not originating from or destined to your own systems without authorization

Email and Messaging Abuse

• Sending unsolicited bulk email (spam) in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act or other applicable law
• Operating spamming infrastructure including bulk mailing services, spam relays, or botnet command-and-control nodes
• Harvesting email addresses or other personal information without consent
• Sending threatening, harassing, or abusive messages to individuals

Content Restrictions

• Hosting or distributing content that infringes copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights
• Defamatory, libelous, or tortious content intended to harm specific individuals or organizations
• Content that constitutes unlawful harassment, stalking, or threats of violence

2. VoIP-Specific Rules

Customers using Vast Networks hosted VoIP services additionally agree to the following:

• You will not use VoIP services for auto-dialing, robocalling, or predictive dialing in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) or applicable FTC regulations
• You will not use VoIP services to transmit false or misleading caller ID information (caller ID spoofing) in violation of the Truth in Caller ID Act
• International calling is subject to additional terms and may be restricted or rate-limited to prevent toll fraud
• You are responsible for implementing reasonable security practices on your VoIP infrastructure to prevent toll fraud and unauthorized use of your SIP credentials
• Emergency 911 (E911) services are provided subject to the limitations described in your VoIP service agreement; VoIP 911 service has inherent limitations compared to traditional telephone 911 service

3. Security Responsibilities

Customers are responsible for the security of all systems connected to the Vast Networks network. This includes:

• Keeping operating systems, firmware, and applications patched and up to date
• Using strong, unique passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication on externally accessible systems
• Promptly investigating and remediating any compromise of systems on your network
• Notifying Vast Networks at hello@vastnetworks.com if you discover that your connection is being used to attack other systems or is otherwise involved in malicious activity
• Cooperating reasonably with Vast Networks security investigations that affect network integrity

Vast Networks reserves the right to temporarily block traffic originating from customer networks that are actively participating in attacks against third parties, with notice provided as promptly as circumstances allow.

4. Intellectual Property and DMCA

Vast Networks respects intellectual property rights and complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). We respond to valid takedown notices submitted to:

Customers who are the subject of repeated, valid DMCA notices may have their service suspended or terminated. Repeat infringers will be terminated in accordance with our repeat infringer policy.

5. Resource Usage

Vast Networks provides dedicated bandwidth as specified in your service tier. While we do not impose hard data caps on commercial fiber services, we reserve the right to investigate and address usage patterns that disproportionately impact network infrastructure or other customers, including but not limited to:

• Sustained traffic at or near maximum capacity that creates congestion on shared uplinks
• Traffic patterns consistent with unauthorized peering, transit, or resale
• Operation of public-facing services (CDN nodes, large-scale hosting) not disclosed at signup, which may require a different service tier

6. Cooperation with Law Enforcement

Vast Networks complies with lawful orders from government authorities, including subpoenas, court orders, and emergency disclosure requests. Where legally permitted to do so, we will notify affected customers of such requests. We maintain records necessary to respond to lawful legal process as described in our Privacy Policy.

7. Enforcement

Vast Networks may take any of the following actions in response to AUP violations, at our sole discretion:

• Issue a written warning and require remediation within a specified timeframe
• Temporarily throttle or block specific traffic types or destinations
• Suspend Services, with or without advance notice, depending on the severity of the violation
• Terminate Services with or without Early Termination Fee liability, depending on the nature of the violation
• Report violations to appropriate law enforcement agencies
• Pursue civil remedies for damages caused by AUP violations

Vast Networks is not obligated to monitor customer traffic for AUP compliance, but reserves the right to do so to the extent permitted by law and its Privacy Policy. The absence of enforcement action with respect to any particular conduct does not constitute a waiver of our right to act on that conduct in the future.

8. Reporting Abuse

To report network abuse, spam, or other AUP violations originating from the Vast Networks network, contact our abuse team:

9. Changes to This Policy

Vast Networks may update this AUP at any time. Material changes will be communicated to customers via email at least 15 days before taking effect. Continued use of Services after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised AUP.