Any terms in capitals not defined in this Usage Policy will have the same meaning as in your Contract. This Usage Policy applies to you and anybody you allow to use Sky Broadband. Any reference to "you" shall be interpreted to mean you and anybody you allow to use Sky Broadband. You are responsible for the use of Sky Broadband by any person you allow to use it.
USAGE CAPS
Broadband
If you subscribe to a Product that has a cap on the amount of data that you download or upload via your Sky Broadband internet access each month ("Usage Cap"), your usage must not exceed that Usage Cap each month. For the current Usage Caps on each Product, please go to www.sky.com.
If you exceed your Usage Cap, we will contact you to let you know that you have done so.
If your usage continues to exceed your Usage Cap, we will continue to If your usage continues to exceed your Usage Cap, we will continue to contact you to ask you to reduce your usage immediately. If after a reasonable period of time your usage still exceeds your Usage Cap, then we may do one or more of the following things by notice in writing:
(a) charge you fair and reasonable costs for your usage (and any reasonable administration costs) in excess of your Usage Cap;
(b) change your subscription to a Product with a higher Usage Cap, in which case we would also notify you of the new price you will be charged;
(c) suspend your use of Sky Broadband for the relevant month;
(d) end your Contract in accordance with Condition 11 of your Contract; or
(e) suspend some or all of your Email Tools.
E-mail
Whatever Product you take there are also limits on the use of the Sky Broadband email accounts by you and anyone you allow to use an email account.
(a) There is an upper limit on the size of each mailbox account. This will restrict the amount of Messages you are able to store in your mailbox account using Sky Broadband; and
(b) There is an upper limit to the size of each Message which you can send using a Sky Broadband email account.
You must not exceed these usage limits.
You must only use a Sky Broadband e-mail account for normal e-mail purposes and not, for example, as a storage facility. For the current usage limits, please go to www.sky.com.
If you exceed these email usage limits or use a Sky Broadband e-mail account for abnormal purposes, for example the storage of large files, then we may immediately suspend the email account or we may send you an email telling you to reduce your mailbox size or usage (as the case may be). If you do not act on our notification we may then suspend the relevant email account, or end your Contract in accordance with Condition 11 of your Contract.
FAIR USAGE POLICY
If you subscribe to a Product that does not have a Usage Cap, our Fair Use Policy (“FUP”) will apply to you and anybody that you allow to use Sky Broadband.
Why have a Fair Use Policy?
Sky is committed to ensuring that our systems and network (“Sky Network”) and Sky Broadband are fast, reliable and great value for all our customers. Our FUP is designed to help us keep that promise to you.
Am I going to be affected by the Fair Use Policy?
Sky relies on our users being fair and considerate of others in their broadband usage. If one person is excessive in their use, this may result in a temporary loss of service quality and speed for other users.
Currently, however, our FUP has no effect on our broadband users because we have sufficient capacity. Even in the future, as long as you do not use Sky Broadband excessively, for example, use file sharing software (including peer-to-peer) or regularly download very large files, you will most probably never be affected by the policy.
However, if in the future, your use of Sky Broadband becomes consistently excessive our FUP would enable us to intervene. Our latest FUP will always be posted on our website at www.sky.com.
How can I manage my Sky Broadband usage?
There are a number of ways to manage your Sky Broadband usage, however the most effective is to keep your use of file sharing software (including peer-to-peer) and uploading and downloading of very large files reasonable. You should also only the e-mail accounts for e-mail purposes and not, for example, for as a storage facility.
How will I know if my usage is excessive?
We think to impose an actual figure on what we consider to be "excessive" use is not necessarily helpful and may penalise users unfairly. What is deemed excessive will be determined by a number of factors including (but not limited to) the length of time which your excessive usage continues for, as well as the type of activity you use your Sky Broadband for.
If, in our reasonable opinion, you have breached this FUP we may contact you to let you know that your usage is excessive and is affecting the Sky Network.
If after we have contacted you initially your usage continues to be excessive, we will contact you again to ask you to reduce your usage. If after a reasonable period of time your usage still remains excessive then we may do one or more of the following things by notice in writing:
(a) impose a monthly usage cap on your use of Sky Broadband which you must not exceed;
(b) group you together with other users in the same excessive usage category as you;
(c) charge you fair and reasonable costs for your excessive usage (and any reasonable administration costs);
(d) suspend your use of Sky Broadband;
(e) suspend some or all of your Email Tools;
(f) end your Contract in accordance with Condition 11 of your Contract;
ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY
Irrespective of which Product you have subscribed to, our Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) will apply to you and those who you allow to use Sky Broadband.
If you have any queries about our AUP, you can contact us by emailing abuse@sky.com.
Don't use Sky Broadband illegally!
Sky Broadband and the Sky Network may only be used for lawful purposes in accordance with all laws, statutes and regulations in force from time to time in the United Kingdom (“Laws”).
You may not use Sky Broadband and/or the Sky Network to send, receive, store, distribute, transmit, post, upload or download any materials or data which:
• violates any Law;
• is defamatory, offensive, abusive, indecent, obscene, or constitutes harassment;
• is or may be harmful to minors;
• promotes or encourages illegal or socially unacceptable or irresponsible behaviour;
• is in breach of any third party rights (including any third party intellectual property rights);
• has any fraudulent purpose or effect or involves you impersonating another person or otherwise misrepresenting yourself as the source of any communication;
• damages or may damage our name and/or reputation or the name and/or reputation of our sub-contractors or agents.
We have put technical measures in place to prevent you from accessing certain websites that contain illegal images of child abuse that are identified from time to time by the Internet Watch Foundation ("IWF"). Although these filters are comprehensive, they do not provide an absolute guarantee that you will be unable to view such illegal images on the internet. In addition, these measures do not filter other content which you may find distasteful, such as "adult" material. On this basis, we recommend that you consider installing additional software on your computer to prevent access to inappropriate websites or content on the internet.
For further information regarding the IWF, please visit their website at www.iwf.org.uk.
Do not violate anyone's systems or network security
You must not use Sky Broadband to violate Sky Network's security or any third party's system or network security by any method including:
• unauthorised access to or use of data, systems or networks, including any attempt to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of a system or network;
• unauthorised monitoring of data or traffic on any network or system without the express authorisation of the owner of the system or network; or
• unauthorised interference with any user, host, system or network without the express authorisation of the owner of the system or network.
You must not send, receive, store, distribute, transmit, post, upload or download any materials that are designed to violate Sky Network's security or any third party's system or network security. Examples of such prohibited material may include (but are not limited to):
• programs containing viruses, worms, corrupted files, hoaxes, Trojan horses or any other items of a destructive or deceptive nature;
• tools designed to compromise the security of other sites;
• programs or services designed to send or facilitate the sending of unsolicited advertisements; or
• programs or services designed to encourage or facilitate a breach of this AUP or any acceptable use policy of another internet services provider.
You must not connect the Sky Network to insecure machines or services able to be exploited by others to carry out actions which constitute a breach of this AUP.
You must not adapt, modify, decompile or reverse engineer any part of Sky Broadband.
You are responsible for all materials and/or data originating from the machines and/or networks that you have connected to the Sky Network. You must immediately disconnect (and subsequently secure prior to reconnection) machines generating materials and/or data which contravene this AUP once notified of such activity by Sky.
Messages
You must not send Messages to anyone who does not wish to receive them. We acknowledge that email and instant messaging are informal methods of communication however you must refrain from sending Messages to another user after receiving a request to stop.
You must not send unsolicited bulk Messages or any other form of abusive electronic communication. In particular, unsolicited advertising mailings (whether commercial or informational) are strictly prohibited.
You must not operate, host, provide hosting facilities to or assist in any way any web site, email address, or any other online service which is advertised or promoted by means of unsolicited bulk Messages (whether commercial or informational), any mass messaging facility or any other form of abusive electronic communication.
You must not send, distribute, or reply to mail-bombs. Mail-bombing is either sending copies of a single message to many users, or sending large or multiple files or messages to a single user with the intention of disrupting their internet experience.
You must not use false Message headers or alter the headers of Messages to conceal their email address or to prevent internet users from responding to messages. You must not use any email address that you are not authorised to use.
You must not suggest or imply that any Message you send is from, authorised or endorsed by, any Sky company or relates to any Sky business.
We will scan your incoming Messages for viruses and remove any Messages from the Sky Network which contain viruses. Although these filters are comprehensive, they do not provide an absolute guarantee that you will not receive viruses via Messages and you are advised to install appropriate anti-virus software on your computer.
We will scan your incoming Messages for spam and move any suspected spam to a separate folder in your email account where you can inspect it to ensure that non-spam Messages hasn't been inadvertently identified as spam. Items of suspected spam will be deleted after 30 days.
World Wide Web and surfing the net
You will be solely responsible for your use of the internet and any web pages owned and/or operated by you that you connect to the Sky Network using Sky Broadband. You must not use world wide web pages within or outside the Sky Network to violate any part of this AUP or to disrupt or attempt to disrupt another internet user's internet experience.
How do you make a complaint?
If you wish to notify us of a breach of this AUP, or if you wish to make a complaint regarding content, data or material that has been stored and/or accessed via the Sky Network or Sky Broadband, please email us at
What can we do?
Firstly, you should be aware that we will block any electronic communication that we reasonably consider to have breached this AUP.
Secondly, if you have breached this AUP, or we reasonably suspect that you may have breached this AUP we will notify you by email (provided that this notification does not prejudice any investigation) and we may also:
(a) immediately suspend your access to Sky Broadband until such time as we are satisfied the breach has stopped;
(b) immediately end your Contract;
(c) notify and/or pass on the details of the breach of the AUP to any relevant government, statutory, self-regulatory or law enforcement authority;
(d) investigate the alleged breach of the AUP, which may include gathering information from you and/or the complaining party (if any) and the examination of any other data or material on the Sky Network or our servers;
(e) remove (either temporarily or permanently), copy, store, monitor or otherwise deal with data and/or other material on the Sky Network and/or our servers; or
(f) suspend some or all of your Email Tools.
Sky will use your personal data and other account information in connection with any investigation carried out by Sky in accordance with this AUP, including by disclosing it to any third party authority that Sky considers has a legitimate interest in any such investigation or its outcome.
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