*One can't buy alcohol in this locale, but by golly, they've got free public wifi,
which almost reconciles one to the exigencies of historic East Texas.
Smith County Public Wireless Internet Access
Smith County is pleased to offer free wireless Internet access within the Courthouse and in the Commissioner’s Court area of the Smith County Annex Building. Wireless internet access may not be used during court sessions unless expressly granted prior to a court session or by the presiding judge of the court.
You may use the Service only if you agree to the following terms of service ("Agreement") each time you access the Service. If you agree with and accept the Agreement, please indicate your acceptance by checking the box at the bottom of this page: "I Accept."
Your access to the Service is completely at the discretion of Smith County and your access to the Service may be blocked, suspended, or terminated at any time and for any reason including, but not limited to: violation of this Agreement, actions that may lead to a liability for Smith County, disruption of access to other Users or networks, and violation of applicable laws or regulations. Smith County has the right to monitor, measure and report bandwidth consumption by users and reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to establish, modify and/or enforce consumption allowances at any time now or in the future, with or without notice. Smith County reserves the right to block any site for any reason at any time. Smith County may revise this Agreement at any time. You must accept this Agreement each time you use the Service and it is your responsibility to review it for any changes each time.
All USERS are expected to use the wireless access in a legal and responsible manner. While using this wireless access, users shall not violate federal, State of Texas, or local laws, including those relating to:
Downloading copyrighted material - U.S. copyright law prohibits the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of copyrighted materials, except as permitted by the principles of "fair use." No user may copy or distribute electronic materials without the explicit permission of the copyright holder;
Fraud – All users are prohibited from misrepresenting themselves as another user, attempting to modify or gain access to files, passwords, or data belonging to others, seeking unauthorized access to any computer system, or damaging or altering software components of any network or database;
The transmission or receiving of any pornography or other harmful material - Accessing or displaying obscene language or sexually explicit graphics or materials is prohibited; and
Distributing information regarding the creation or the sending of Internet viruses, worms, Trojan Horses, pinging, flooding, mail bombing, denial of service attacks, or any other activity deemed malicious or harmful. (((One hates to think that placid cities like Tyler, Texas are subject to these globalizing acts of Internet pillage, but boy howdy, you bet they are.)))
Use of the Wi-Fi Network to access any inappropriate, offensive or disturbing material may result in a permanent ban on future access to the Wi-Fi Network within. (((Hopefully they're not reading this disturbing webblog.)))
The wireless Internet is open to the public and can be viewed by others. It is recommended that you use personal firewall and anti-virus software while connected to any open network. Smith County or anyone associated with this service are not responsible for any loss or disruption incurred while using this service. This is free service offered to individuals using their own equipment; and therefore, Smith County is not able to provide technical support for any private equipment
Smith County reserves the right to monitor and record any and all internet traffic that utilizes the public wireless network. (((Drop right on in, boys. Bring the backup disks. Y'all might want a word with the Puzzle Palace crowd at the NSA.)))
Use of this service is offered “As Is.” Smith County makes no representation, warranty, or guarantee regarding the service. By using Smith County's Wi-Fi service, you assume all risks associated with the use of this service, including but not limited to, any risk to your computer, software or data of being damaged by any virus, software, or any other file which might be transmitted or activated due to use of the service. You should be aware that the network may be required to disclose data related to the use of this service if it is served with a legal subpoena or court order. In order to comply with such subpoena, any and all network traffic may be captured, monitored and stored at the discretion of Smith County.
Smith County shall not be liable for any special, incidental or consequential damages, including, without limitation, lost revenues or lost profits, resulting from the use or misuse of this service. By using the free Internet service provided by Smith County, you are agreeing to the disclaimer set forth above. FURTHER, YOU AGREE TO INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS SMITH COUNTY FOR ANY DAMAGES RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THIS SERVICE.
