UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA NETWORK ACCESS POLICY

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Preamble:

The University is committed to the use of networks for administration, teaching, learning and research with access to the campus network and the Internet available to staff and students locally on the campus and via remote access subject to the conditions in this policy. The types of usage required include electronic mail, special interest listserver groups, newsgroups, database access, World Wide Web, FTP and future technologies.

The University provides all staff and students with the opportunity to access the campus network conditional upon formal registration. While the University endeavours to provide the University community with network access, it cannot afford an open-ended commitment to cover rapidly escalating and uncontrolled costs.

The University's conditions of access to the Internet and the access which it can and cannot provide to other groups are defined by the AARNet Policy of the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee (AVCC) and the A.C.T. Regional Network Organisation Agreement.

The University's Network Access Policy is based on the following principles:

• The University's Intranet and Internet infrastructure provides support for better research, teaching, learning and community links;
• The infrastructure is provided as a corporate service;
• The principles embodied in the University's Information Policy supports the proposition that all staff and students of the University should have reasonable access to the Internet; and
• Cost savings can be achieved by encouraging use of the Intranet and Internet to replace some traditional more costly forms of communication, such as facsimile, video, and print.

The Network Access Policy is also based on the following:

• It is not practical to limit or control traffic generated outside regional networks by users of the Internet without incurring substantial costs, which would probably exceed the existing and forecast costs to the University for access to the Internet;
• There may be limitations to the University's ability to identify usage of the Internet by individuals, or the type of their usage, without incurring substantial costs, which would probably exceed the existing and forecast costs to the University for access to the Internet;
• While it is possible to filter out all images (a substantial cost in traffic) and restrict traffic to text only, this would also eliminate much legitimate use of the Internet by staff and students; and
• In the event that a fee needs to be charged as a partial contribution to the cost of providing the service, any charge-for-use levied on students should be a component of an existing fee or charge to ensure that it is economical to collect and distribute.

Network Access Policy:

Within the context of growth in Internet charges and growth in demand for Internet access there is a need to foster discriminating and efficient use of networks by the University community through the following set of principles.

1. The University participates in national and regional strategies designed to promote the cost effective use of the Internet by minimising or avoiding long-distance Internet charges for example, through the development of caches and mirrors for the storage of commonly accessed information.
2. All Internet client software on campus is configured to request information via a caching proxy server. Such use of a local cache reduces unnecessary duplication in retrieval of information leading to a reduction in Internet charges.
3. Priority is given to the establishment and support of databases, newsgroups and other information services which support the University's endeavours to achieve its mission to educate professionals in a professional manner.
4. Staff and students understand that there are conditions of use and costs associated with using the Internet service provided by the University:

   4.1 Conditions of Use

   The Internet service is provided for staff and students in undertaking their duties and studies related to the operations and mission of the University. Staff and students need to remember that use of the University's Internet and Intranet facilities and services is a privilege and not a right. They should be aware also that use of the Internet by the University is governed by a number of laws including copyright, defamation, misrepresentation, Fair Trading legislation and the Trade Practices Act, Telecommunications Regulations, Privacy Act, various criminal laws regarding fraud and obscenity, as well as a number of private codes regarding "netiquette" and the AVCC Policy on Allowed Access to the Internet. The University will take appropriate action upon becoming aware of any illegal use of the University's services and facilities.

   4.2 Costs of Network Access

   The Internet is in no sense a free good. In the University of Canberra, as in other universities, the costs of Internet access have become a serious element in the University's expenditure. Each time staff and students search the Internet via the University, the University is billed for all the information found on the basis of gigabytes of information received. The Internet service provided by the University should be used by staff and students in a responsible manner with the knowledge that it is not a free good and that unlimited access would be prohibitively expensive.

5. The University provides on-campus and limited remote network access for staff subject to their agreement to abide by the University's caching strategy and to limit their use of the network to business related to the University's mission.
6. Subject to further information on the cost of Internet access, the University provides limited on-campus network access for students on authorised computers in University facilities to access information on the Internet.
7. The University facilitates dial-in access from off-campus computers by University of Canberra staff and students. This service should be provided on a commercial basis either by the University or through an external service provider. The service must be a cost-effective method of access for students and achieved in a way which guarantees access to the information services currently available. The University may agree to provide free dial-in access through the University for identified individuals with special needs (eg system administrators or some students with disabilities.).
8. The University provides limited on-campus high-speed network access to the Internet for students in the University's student residences.
9. The University endeavours to allocate an adequate recurrent budget for network access to meet the forecast needs of staff and students identified in this policy.

Owing to the volatile nature of the Internet, technical developments and increasing usage, the Network Access Policy should be reviewed and evaluated periodically.

(Endorsed by Information and Communication Services Committee Meeting 97/4, 26 May 1997, and by the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Committee Meeting 97/10, 17 June 1997)