Legal - Telephone Acceptable Use Policy

Prohibited Acts

Customers/Subscribers are prohibited from using their respective telephone services (voice, voicemail, text, telefax or any other telephony transmission):

1. For any purpose which violates FCC regulations, federal or state laws.
2. To violate any rule, policy or guideline of North Central Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (NCTC).
3. For the purpose of engaging in any conduct that is defamatory, fraudulent, obscene or deceptive to other telephone users;
4. For making pre-recorded or artificial voice calls that do not include the identification of the calling party at the beginning of the announcement.
5. For making pre-recorded or artificial voice calls that do not include the telephone number or address of the caller in the announcement.
6. For making calls with incorrect Caller ID information (when the calling number is not assigned to a party affiliated with the caller, as in the case of “neighbor spoofing”).
7. Initiating sales calls to numbers on the “Do not call list”, where the calling party does not have a preexisting commercial relationship with the called party.
8. Initiating telemarketing calls that do not include an automated do not call option.
9. Initiating telemarketing messages left in voice mail that do not include a toll-free call back number that connects directly to an automated opt out mechanism.
10. Making calls impersonating government officials.
11. In any fashion for the transmission or dissemination of images containing child pornography or in a manner that is obscene, sexually explicit, cruel or racist in nature or which espouses, promotes or incites bigotry, hatred or racism.
12. In any manner providing altered, deceptive, or false information about the identity of the sender or their origin of a message or phone call.
13. To text, voice mail, fax, or transmit any unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, profane or otherwise objectionable information of any kind, including but not limited to transmission constituting or encouraging conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any local, state, national or international ordinance, regulation of law, including but not limited to the United States export control laws and regulations.
14. To transmit misleading or inaccurate caller ID information with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value.
15. To make illegal robocalls, which are made without the expressed permission of the recipient and meets the definition of robocalls as determined by the FCC.
16. That violates the Do Not Call Implementation Act (DNCIA), Truth in Caller ID Act (TICIDA) and the Telephone Consumers Protection Act (TCPA).

Enforcement

1. The provision of voice service by the company assumes that only legitimate calls will be originated or terminated.
2. The company will cooperate with the Federal Communication Commission and law enforcement to provide them customer/subscriber information necessary to mitigate illegal traffic including but not limited to illegal robocalls.
3. Customers/subscribers are hereby notified that NCTC may take action up to suspension or termination of service for violation of the TAUP.
4. NCTC reserves the right to immediately cancel the service of a member for a violation of any of the above prohibited acts.
5. It is not a prohibited act for governmental entities, utilities, EMS, or other like kind organizations to initiate robocalls for the purpose of informing the general public.