CENIC CalREN acceptable use policy (web)
Citation
Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC). “Acceptable Use Policy.” CENIC Policies, written July 22, 1998, revised September 13, 2004. https://cenic.org/network/policies/acceptable-use-policy. Read 2026-11-09.
Bottom line
- Use of the California Research and Education Network (CalREN) must start or end at a device on a CENIC Associate’s network. It must be lawful and further the mission of the not-for-profit Associates.
- The CENIC Chief Technical Officer (CTO) investigates violations. An Associate has two business days to fix a violation, and repeated cases go to the Executive Committee, with appeal to the Board.
Background
CENIC owns and operates CalREN. The policy dates from 1998, with its current text from 2004. It has sections on background, purpose, scope, use, enforcement, complaints and revisions. See CENIC About (web) and CENIC.
Key claims
- “The purpose of CalREN is to engineer, maintain and operate telecommunication facilities for the primary benefit of CENIC Associates.” (Background)
- Use must “Originate or terminate with a device directly attached to a network owned and operated by a CENIC Associate or on behalf of a CENIC Associate.” (Use)
- Use must “Be for the purposes of furthering the mission of not-for-profit Associates attached to the network.” (Use)
- “Interpretation and enforcement of this Policy is the responsibility of the CENIC Chief Technical Officer (CTO).” (Enforcement)
- The CTO will “Require resolution of the violation within two business days or as may otherwise be lawfully required, whichever is sooner.” (Enforcement)
- “The decision of the CENIC Executive Committee may be appealed to the CENIC Board of Directors by the affected CENIC Associate.” (Enforcement)
- “The Policy does not address such requirements as the Board of Directors of CENIC may impose from time to time on usage of CalREN to ensure equitable use of CalREN” (Scope)
Evidence and method
A network use policy of about 900 words of body text. It sets rules and an enforcement process. It gives no figures.
Limits
The policy covers network transit, not compute. It says nothing on AI, data protection or CENIC AIR. Its text has not changed since 2004.