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At Parcom we wish to provide a professional environment for our customers.  We are a family business, and we will take care of you very well if all policies are understood and adhered to.   As such, we have decided that we will not host sites which contain any of the following:

Material that is obscene, pornographic, sexually explicit or of an adult nature or provide links directly or indirectly to this type material. We also will not host sites which are used for gambling or contain material which is stolen, pirated or unlicensed copyrighted material. Our systems may not be used to SEND or RECEIVE "spam" mailings or be used as a means of correspondence for bulk mailings.   (It is illegal to spam to or from the state of Washington)  Also, if content of a client website is deemed questionable by our staff, we will immediately disable POP/IMAP e-mail access.  Customers are also not to use third party bulk e-mail services that direct traffic to their sites.   Such activity warrants immediate termination of account(s) without refund.

Some questionable web sites include money making sites, multi-level marketing sites, or obvious "too good to be true" type services.   We do not censor these type of accounts, however, accounts of this nature may require a signed form with acceptance to company policies as said herein if e-mail is required.

We provide this policy up front to all of our clients, and failure to adhere to our policy is subject to immediate cancellation of the account.   Setup fees and/or remaining subscription funds are NOT refundable if such an event occurs.

If you have a question on this very straight forward policy please feel free to contact us.

Additional information regarding our network uptime policy can be found
 on our Network Availability Policy page.

Parcom Site Contract documents your service level agreement.

You may also view our billing and privacy policies as well.

The following is what we expect our customers to abide by. 

This document is an ACTIVE Policy (or living document) since changes in the industry can affect this policy at any time.

All of this is applicable to dedicated server customers unless noted.

1. Parcom's systems shall not be used to store or disseminate content of obscene, pornographic, nude content, racist, sexually explicit or extreme adult nature or provide any links directly or indirectly to this type of material.   NO LINKS to adult material are to be placed on any site as well (not even by search url type linking services).  Nudity in general is not acceptable.  Some material may be acceptable but will require prior approval by Parcom.  Escort services are also not allowed on our network.  Customers will argue about how they should be allowed to host their "artistic" type sites, but generally speaking, if your site has to have restricted access to prevent minors from accessing it, then we definitely cannot host that site.  We maintain a zero nudity policy here.  If you are still not sure, please be sure to contact us.   We are more than happy to answer any questions or visit your current site before moving it to our network.  Sites not found to follow this simple policy are subject to being immediately shutdown for investigation.  Parcom reserves the right to not refund any remaining funds if any. No exceptions! 
   ADDITIONAL NOTE: Adult related sites that claim to be "Artistic" or "Adult Photography" sites affected by this policy will include any and all sites that are sexual in nature and inappropriate for children. The United States Constitution protects your right of free speech and the Uniform Commercial Code protects our rights to do business with whomever we choose. We'll respect your rights, please respect ours.   Parcom is a family business that wishes to protect the entire Parcom community of wonderful clients world wide, if we do not wish to serve you we will tell you that up front, and same goes for you, if you do not like this policy tell us.   We're fine with that too, but we will not guarantee we will budge on this #1 policy.   It does go both ways.  
2. Parcom's systems shall not be used for gambling or any other practice deemed illegal by the laws of any of the States of The United States of America or the US Federal Government. This includes drugs, content that is stolen, pirated or unlicensed copyrighted material.  Parcom does not allow customers to point to illegal material - which includes banner ads, software duplication how to sites, etc..  (other examples of sites we do not allow are:  Sites dealing with promoting game consoles or any site catering to duplicating software of any kind)  These sites are illegal in our state as still promote the act of duplicating software.
3. Parcom does not allow the use of third party DNS servers to point to our network.   Only Parcom's DNS servers and their EXACT internet names may be used for your domain and for your security as well.  All Parcom customers are responsible for moving their domains by pointing their domains to our network.  Dedicated customers who build their own DNS servers or those clients who specifically request an exception (i.e. corporate networks with internal processes that are unreasonable and just have strict IT people for example - we'll work with you on a case by case basis.) on our network are the exception. 
4. Copyrighted music, video, or sounds in .WAV or especially .MP3 format is not allowed on our systems unless the owner of the content also owns the copyirght of the content.  (Other formats include: .mpg, .mpeg, .asf, .avi, .wma, .mov, or .wmv etc.)  Only public domain sound files are allowed.  Sites that point to copyrighted material are strictly forbidden too.   In short, Parcom does not allow "pirated material" to be hosted on our systems as the systems are the property of Parcom Internet Services, and are shared among many customers who do respect copyright laws worldwide.
5. For obvious reasons you must not run a busy radio station web site on a shared hosting account - you should not do this anywhere.    Pre-recorded Internet radio stations are not allowed on our network.   Some exceptions may apply but you must have explicit permission from the Parcom owner as there are rare instances where we would allow small solutions (church seminar recordings, limited and private recorded media for a small company intranet or group, etc.)   Common sense applies here. Most of our servers are shared by other clients.  You would not want to be next to someone that sucks all available resources!   Such folks need dedicated servers.   Honesty is our policy!
6. Parcom's systems shall not be used to store or disseminate material of a threatening or slanderous nature.   Parcom does not tolerate sites that promote discrimination of any kind.   Sites of this type will require immediate termination of service.
7. Customers are not allowed to use our service to redirect to content that goes against our policies.  For example, we do not allow portal, or url redirection sites be set up with adult material being stored on other servers.  The content policy still applies. 
8. Parcom's systems shall not be used to send spam (unsolicited e-mail or bulk e-mail) or send spam by using third party bulk mailing services.   Such actions will result in immediate termination of service without prior notice required.  This applies to sending mail through our network to a third party mail service or if a third party spam service is used to link to a Parcom account.    Please note that it is illegal to spam in the state of Washington, USA where Parcom is located.  Parcom can disable an account to protect the integrity of the network due to Denial of Service Attacks, or attempts to spam through the customer account as well.   In short, if you need to use SPAM or bulk unsolicited e-mail for your advertising, we cannot be your hosting provider.  All bulk mailings require permission from Parcom prior to any being sent out.    If you are e-mailing a list of unknown recipients then you are breaking this policy.   However, if each recipient genuinely requested the material you are presenting and you have documentation proving it through written or direct confirmation that can be presented to Parcom if a problem should occur, then it is ok. So, if you plan to mass mail customers, you must have proof that your customer(s) are welcome to your messages and show that to us if that customer should ever complain.  Parcom will disable a customer account during investigation where there is a possible breach of contract.
   NOTE: Parcom customers are also not allowed to post unsolicited mailings on newsgroups, mailing lists, websites guest books, create URL linking for spam use, or forums of any kind.   If a single complaint is received due to such actions, the customer account may be deleted without notice and no refund will apply.  This is to protect all customers on the server and network you share space with.    If a Parcom customer does this to another Parcom customer, a warning may be given, but the offending party must contact the other Parcom customer with a written apology and a copy must be sent to Parcom's abuse department for a record to be kept on file.  Damages to the other Parcom party is the responsibility of that party - and any legal action should be taken between the two parties without Parcom involvement.
9. Parcom shared hosting e-mail servers are not to be used for high volume e-mail gaming or other service that requires high mail loads.   (Constant mail activity is monitored by our NOC engineers for abuse 7x24).   Such customers should always use their own mail server of which Parcom can provide.   Parcom will disable domains that overload the mail systems if other customers are affected by mail delivery delays.  If you need to email tens of thousands of users, we typically question your motives at that point.  Especially if you are a client paying less than $20 a month for hosting.  We will recommend the use of professional list services for such massive mailing campaigns.    We even recommend third party systems for state and government candidates running for office.   Do it right, use common sense.
10. Parcom does not allow a customer to resell or give away e-mail addresses to the general public for their virtual mail account.   Our service is not to be used as a "hotmail" or "yahoo mail" type service.  The performance is tuned for customers using mail for their own private use and not for public use.   If you need to establish a mail server service, then we can negotiate a higher performance service/server for your needs.  Otherwise you can opt to outsource your mail to a third party e-mail provider.   If you are giving away e-mail addresses then you must seek permission from us as we may have to negotiate a different feature set for you as well.  (which is more than likely a dedicated server)   Yes, you may have quite a number of accounts with our standard accounts, but you also should note performance can degrade with a simple virtual server being abused as though it were a full blown server.   This is not applicable to dedicated server customers, however, you still must use common sense with dedicated servers as they are still a finite resource.  In short, use common sense, and use the right service for your needs. 
11. Parcom does not allow a customer to resell space on their web site(s) or build mini-hosting services within a plan without becoming an official reseller.    If you choose to resell our direct customer (parcom branded) service you could forfeit all support if you are not having the customer pay directly.    Customers who bring others on their behalf (like web designers) who do not mark up Parcom pricing and use the customer billing information instead is acceptable.  
12. Although Parcom gives a generous amount of space, we do not allow using a web site as personal storage.    This is mostly because the data can be accessible to the public and Parcom simply does not want to be responsible for lost personal data.    Personal storage is different from web hosting, and so we prefer to focus on providing excellent web hosting services, not personal file storage servers for your personal movies, copyrighted MP3s from your IPOD, etc.  There is a big difference and we work hard to make sure web sites perform well on our network for true professional web site owners.
13. Parcom is not responsible for customer e-mail if mail is configured to forward to another ISP or mail provider.  Once mail leaves the Parcom network we cannot guarantee that the receiving ISP will deliver mail in a timely manner.   This is mainly common sense as once mail leaves our network it is the resposibility of the other provider to deliver it.   If mail is lost by the other ISP, again, Parcom is NOT responsible.  This is also true for using third party mail reading services (remote pop3 configurations) as they could add delays or issues due to having a middle man between our systems and you.  We cannot be held responsible for delays.   Common third party mail systems include the use of the popular Blackberry hand held device.   Mail can be delayed by the company that runs that service, so Parcom cannot be held responsible for their delays or potential down time.  
14. Parcom cannot guarantee that e-mail will be sent or received instantaneously.  This is just a common sense policy.   Most of the time mail is extremely fast due to our redundant and well connected network.  Greylisting does occur here, so the first time you receive mail from a friend or family member may involve a small 1 minute delay for our systems to see if the other end is not a spammer.  Once our systems are ok with your contact, only then will it be fast from that point forward.   (This greylisting shaves off over 90% of spam without you paying a dime for something extra!)   We run an honest business here. Parcom systems are tuned to perform as best as current technology allows. 
15. Parcom, which provides your server/site, reserves the right to deactivate any virtual server account, if the account is in violation of Parcom operational procedures or any policy.  Especially if this is in clear violation of firewall port usage by using port proxy type code.  Dedicated servers can be deactivated if a single policy is not followed.
16. We reserve the right to refuse service, to anyone, for any reason, and at any time, in order to ensure a professional environment for all of our clients.   Abusive actions presented in public view via our community forum is strictly not allowed.   We maintain a one strike policy with this too.
17. We do not accept server side installation of custom DLL's, EXE's, or other COM OBJECTS to our servers.  This protects all clients that share each server from potential server failure.   Not allowing custom software, dll's that require Parcom to install, or applications to be added to our servers protect not only Parcom, but the client from legal issues that can arise as well.  If a custom .NET or .PHP solution is required of the customer, they may suggest a new feature via our forum at anytime.   There is no guarantee but we do seriously consider our customer's suggestions that could benefit many loyal Parcom customers.   This does not apply to dedicated customers as they can manage their own servers.
18. All customers are responsible for keeping Parcom up to date on a proper contact e-mail address for their Parcom web site account.  
19. Parcom does not develop web pages, debug scripting issues, nor do we assist in the design or creation of web sites.   Parcom is a strictly a web hosting provider and we are experts at managing the servers for our customers - we do not claim to be graphic artists or web design gurus!    (This also applies to database consultation of any kind)    We may also refer customers to trusted web site development companies if required by joining our community forum. 
20. If the customer uses an e-commerce solution, Parcom is not responsible for providing debugging or web site development support.   It is up to the customer to obtain proper support from the vendor or professional consultant for such needs.
21. We reserve the right to recommend higher service levels for those using high end features.  Parcom recommends our highest level service for anyone choosing to use a forum, live chat, or e-commerce system on their site.  If you choose to use a lesser grade service you do so at your own risk. Such features are typically very intensive in terms of resource utilization.  This is true on any host.  Anything less is not recommended due to forums typically requiring dedicated settings rather than shared resource settings.  
22. Parcom generally does not move web contents from one web hosting company to our network.  It is the customer's responsibility to move the site contents to the new location. 
23. Parcom maintains up to 7 days of backups of basic server information and anywhere from one day to two weeks of customer information (customer data is always best effort due to the massive number of terabytes we do backup).   As per our site contract, we do not backup files that are not related to web sites (i.e. personal PC backups, illegal pirated files and images, etc.)  Customers are responsible for their own backups to supplement Parcom's at all times.  
24. Parcom customers are to not use any third party tools to monitor or do frequent ping tests against their sites at all. Doing so adds unnecessary stress on your site.    Ping (ICMP Traffic) is blocked at the firewall, to protect our servers and our customers from attacks using this protocol.   At Parcom, we staff our network operations center with qualified and professional staff who are responsible for monitoring your site.  Parcom reserves the right to block any IP address found to be monitoring our network. 
25. The customer understands that once they sign up for service, payment is required regardless if they choose to utilize the web site or not.  Parcom is not responsible for the customer not registering a domain name, not pointing their domain name to our servers, or not putting content on the site.  Parcom is also not responsible for loss of business for a client if the client does not pay in a timely manner.
26. Parcom reserves the right to request signatures of credit card holders as per our billing department standards.   Due to the abundance of credit card fraud and the amount of purchasing done by third parties on behalf of other customers, it is at our discretion that we could potentially ask you for the credit card holder's signature.
27. If you require sending large mailing lists in excess of 1000 emails at any given time, this can be considered spam both internally and outside our network.  You must use a dedicated mail server for anything above 1000 users.   Lists cannot be populated via purchased lists of any kind.  This includes list server, MRAs, and client/server based solutions.   Your lists can only be filled with customers that do business with you or contacts that approve messages be sent to them.  Parcom does not support the use of scripting techniques to do mass mailing.  If you do so, you do so at your own risk and risk your site being blocked on major spam blacklists.  Parcom reserves the right to shut down a site or even cancel an account if a client is found to send unsolicited mailings.  A good friendly community at Parcom is filled with people that use good judgment.  NOTE: All Parcom customers must send mail from a valid user on their domain.  If you attempt to send mail and place an outside address on your scripts (relay) then that is considered spam and will be deleted from our systems.
28. MySQL is only supported with PHP at Parcom.  Customers are welcome to use ASP or ASP.NET with MySQL but Parcom cannot support that configuration but you are most welcome to use that combination.   MS SQL works well with ASP and ASP.NET, and PHP works well for MYSQL.   Those are the two official combinations Parcom officially supports in terms of SQL.    For Access, we only support the use of Microsoft languages with the same reasoning.  Common sense need apply here as unsupported combinations are risky due to a lack of support from the third parties that make these solutions for us.
29. Customers are not to build proxy server sites, anonymous browsing services, or any other resource intensive anonymous browsing system that are truly meant to be on dedicated servers on shared hosting.    Standard ports are discussed in the service contract, however, any site communicating with ports other than for standard web, dns, or mail is in clear violation of our security policy at Parcom.   Building proxy services or sites that wish to communicate to substandard ports is not supported.
30. MySQL databases cannot exceed 100MB on shared systems.  Microsoft SQL databases must not exceed 200MB.  Please review the Parcom site contract for details.
31. Search engines, URL linking, banner exchange services are all not allowed on shared hosting.  Such services require their own dedicated server.    And typically must not contain material that is also not acceptable at Parcom.
32. "Phishing" sites are illegal and are not allowed on the Parcom network.  (Phishing is the act of using a web site to send mass mailings to steal customer private information including credit cards, bank information, etc).  
33. Because Parcom is a U.S. based company that serves clients from over 100 different countries, please be aware of any trade sanctions that may be in effect with countries we may not be able to do business with.   Most customers are not affected, but it is always safe to check with your government when in doubt.
    
    Visit this page for clarification http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/  for detailed information on U.S. sanctions.   You may also refer to your local U.S. Embassy for more information if you feel you may be affected by this policy.

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