textfiles/internet/prepnet

PREPnet Acceptable Use Policy

The intent of this policy is to clarify certain cases which are
consistent with the purposes of PREPnet, not to exhaustively enumerate
such possible uses.  For a particular use of PREPnet to be acceptable,
all of the following conditions must be met:

1.	All use must be consistent with the purposes of PREPnet as stated in
the Pennsylvania Research and Economic Partnership Network Consortium
Charter.

2.	All data on PREPnet must originate or terminate at a member or
affiliate institution in Pennsylvania.

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Pennsylvania Research Partnership Network Consortium Charter

The Pennsylvania Research Partnership Network Consortium [the
Consortium] is an organization of research institutions within
Pennsylvania whose goals are to enhance and support research activities
within the State by providing and promoting high-speed data
communications facilities and services for these institutions, and thus
foster economic development within Pennsylvania.

Purposes of the Consortium

The purposes of the Consortium include the following:
~	To increase the opportunities for collaboration in academic research
between colleagues at the various research institutions throughout the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
~	To make it feasible for research colleagues in the state to exchange
not only simple messages and texts, but also significant amounts of
data, including graphics images, experimental data, etc.
~	To provide better access throughout the Commonwealth to research
resources at the universities and in the industrial firms which are
their research partners.  (Examples of such resources would include the
computing facilities of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing  Center, catalogs
of library holdings of the major universities, and, possibly,
specialized data bases of industrial partners.)
~	To contribute to the economic development  of  the  Commonwealth by
facilitating the transfer of new technologies from laboratories and
research centers to businesses and industries.
~	To provide interconnection of the statewide network with similar
regional and national networks, such as the National Science Foundation
backbone network, to extend these opportunities on a national scale.

Definitions

PRPnet refers to the high speed data communication network  to  be 
established among the Consortium members in pursuit of the
above-mentioned purposes.

The  PRPnet  Unit  of  the the MPC Corporation consists of the people
under its auspices who have responsibility for the on-going coordinating
and  operational activities of PRPnet.

The  MPC  Corporation  is a joint-venture of Carnegie Mellon University
and the University of Pittsburgh, formed as a  vehicle  for  cooperative
 work  between those universities.

Activities

The initial activity by which the Consortium will pursue these ends is
PRPnet itself, the Pennsylvania Research Partnership Network.  PRPnet is
established as a cooperative effort of the Consortium members,
government, and industry.

Structure

The  charter  institutions  of  the  Consortium,  a  mix  of public and
private institutions, are:
~	Carnegie Mellon University
~	Drexel University
~	Lehigh University
~	Pennsylvania State University
~	Temple University
~	University of Pennsylvania
~	University of Pittsburgh

The Consortium is governed by a Steering Committee comprised of
representatives of  its charter institutions and the Co-Directors of the
PRPnet unit of the MPC Corporation.

The PRPnet unit  of  the  MPC  Corporation,  located  in  Pittsburgh, 
acts  to coordinate  the activities of the Consortium with its business
and governmental associates, to serve as business agent for the 
Consortium,  and  to  implement PRPnet.

The  Pittsburgh  Supercomputing Center assists the Consortium by
supporting the PRPnet unit of the MPC Corporation by providing 
technical  and  administrative staff support for the Consortium and
network gateway functions for PRPnet.

Acceptance

By  signing  below,  the institution hereby  expresses  its  commitment
to participate as a  charter  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Research 
Partnership Network  Consortium, as defined in this document and in
Attachments A,B,C, and D, accepting  the  duties  and  responsibilities 
as  well  as  the benefits of such membership.


Signed:__________________________________________



Title:____________________________________________



Representing:_____________________________________



Date:____________________________________________