Last updated: May 18, 2026
1. Purpose & Scope
The BMI Community Wi-Fi program provides free, library-card-style internet access to residents of Palestine, Texas and the surrounding area. This Acceptable-Use Policy ("AUP") sets out the rules every cardholder agrees to when they sign up and at every renewal. By using the network, you agree to these terms.
This policy applies to all use of the BMI Community Wi-Fi network — whether you connect at the BMI facility at 200 Vista Ridge, at a partner community site, or via any other access point operated under the program.
2. What the Network Is For
The BMI Community Wi-Fi network is intended for personal, residential, and educational use by people living in our community. Reasonable use includes:
- Browsing the web, email, and general communication.
- Schoolwork, job applications, online learning, and research.
- Video calls, light streaming, and ordinary household internet activity.
3. What the Network Is Not
The community network is a shared, filtered service. It is not designed to replace a paid home or business connection. In particular:
- It is not a substitute for primary home internet service, and is unsuitable for activities that require a reliable, high-speed connection, such as competitive online gaming, live streams of HD video, or large audio/video chatrooms.
- No port forwarding or inbound hosted services (no running servers on the network).
- No commercial or business-grade use — this program is for residents. Replying to business emails and other small, "work-from-home" tasks are permitted, but BMI makes no guarantee of the security of our network.
- No high-bandwidth abuse, including sustained torrenting, cryptocurrency mining, or large-scale streaming farms.
4. Filtering & Privacy
The network operates a family-safe content filter. Categories such as adult content, malware/phishing domains, and known illegal content are blocked. The filter is not a guarantee — parents and guardians remain responsible for supervising minors.
BMI keeps minimal operational logs needed to run the network securely (DHCP leases, authentication events, abuse triage). We do not sell user data. We may share information with law enforcement if compelled by valid legal process.
5. Prohibited Conduct
The following activities are violations of this policy and may result in immediate revocation of your access card:
- Attempting to bypass, disable, or circumvent the family-safe content filter.
- Any illegal activity, including hacking, unauthorized access to other systems, distribution of malware, or use of the network in furtherance of a crime.
- Damage to or destruction of BMI property — physical equipment, network infrastructure, signage, or facilities.
- Malicious harassment of other users, BMI staff, or partner-site staff, including threats, stalking, doxxing, or coordinated abuse.
- Port forwarding, running servers, or hosting commercial services on the network.
- Sustained high-bandwidth abuse that degrades service for other cardholders.
- Sharing your access card or credentials with another person.
6. Community Guidelines
The following is a general guideline for expected behavior while accessing the service, and is designed to maintain privacy and avoid conflict. Causing conflict with other cardholders may result in card revocation, at the discretion of BMI:
- During times of high usage, you may experience lag. Please be patient, and avoid making the problem worse. Refrain from downloading, uploading, and streaming during peak usage.
- To maintain your privacy and avoid disturbing others, please speak softly during video calls, and use headphones when listening to audio and video.
- Please respect others' privacy. Don't look over their shoulder without permission.
- Please refrain from shouting, swearing, and being generally disruptive while on the premise.
7. Enforcement & Revocation
BMI may revoke access for any AUP violation, at our discretion. Minor first-time issues will usually be handled with a warning and a chance to correct the behavior. Serious or repeated violations — especially illegal conduct, filter bypass, property damage, or harassment — will result in immediate revocation, and we may decline future renewals.
Revocation decisions are not appeals to a court; they are operational decisions by BMI as the network operator. We will explain our reasoning when we can.
8. Cards & Renewal
Access cards are issued to verified residents on a one-card-per-person basis. Cards renew on a regular cadence (quarterly or annually — to be finalized at launch). Lost or compromised cards should be reported promptly so they can be deactivated.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date, and cardholders will be notified at the next renewal.
10. Contact
Questions about this policy, or to report a network issue or AUP violation, contact tyler@bitcoinminingit.com.