Thank you for asking about Oregon Public Networking (OPN) and the Eugene Free Community Network (EFN). Here is a brief description of our networking services. If you need more information, please feel free to call us at (503) 484-9637, or send email to office@efn.org.

EFN - YOUR COMMUNITY ACCESS TO THE "INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY"

EFN can be your gateway to local community information or to economical communications world-wide. We provide discussion groups for local interests and issues, business and organization information, and online newspapers. We also provide global internet services with world-wide electronic mail, world-wide discussions and newsgroups, and access to files, databases, and computer systems around the world.

EFN was created to share the benefits of the new "information superhighway" as broadly as possible with the whole community. We are committed to offering free (no cost) basic access and advanced services at the lowest practical cost. We provide the least restrictive practical environment where people can access and create information as they see fit. We are dedicated to providing the greatest possible benefit to the whole community in every way we can, including special assistance to the elderly, handicapped, disadvantaged, and to other citizens with special needs.

Members of OPN are encouraged to support EFN with donations of money, equipment, expertise, and assistance to others who need it. We currently (June '95) have over 3600 members, dozens of volunteers and hundreds of contributors, and an active Board of Directors. EFN is now running on two Sun SPARC computers, with a third on the way, using a UNIX operating system, with 80 dialup phone lines, adding an average of 10 additional lines each month. We currently have two T1 connections to the internet. OPN is a 501c3 non-profit corporation and serves as the parent organization for EFN.

PERSONAL NETWORK CONNECTIONS

EFN connects individual computer or workstations to the Internet. OPN is dedicated to providing free (no cost) basic service, which includes email, USENET news, FTP, Gopher, WWW (using lynx), Telnet, and IRC services. For a monthly contribution of $7, priority access is granted, which gives dialup users access to additional phone lines. A direct uucp news/mail feed costs $25 a month.

DIRECT NETWORK CONNECTIONS

OPN offers SLIP, CSLIP, and PPP accounts. These accounts cost $20 to setup and the maintenance of priority access status (a monthly contribution of $7). Dialup accounts are assigned dynamic IP addresses; static IP addresses are available when a dedicated line is purchased. OPN offers 14.4 and 28.8 dedicated lines, for $75 and $100 a month respectively, with a $100 installation fee and telco installation and monthly charges falling to the holder of the dedicated line.

ACCOUNT REGISTRATION

There are several ways to establish your connection. To connect your network or for a News/Mail feed, please call (503) 484-9637. For personal connection, using your modem and computer or workstation, set your modem to 8-N-1 (1200 to 14.4k baud), and dial 687-2996. Login as "guest" and request a new account. If you're asked for a password, just hit enter or return. To connect from another internet system, telnet to efn.org, login as "guest" and request a new account. Or, call (503) 484-9637 and ask for assistance in setting up an account. EFN will provide you with a menu driven environment in which to register. You can register 24 hours a day.

People join and contribute to OPN/EFN in order:

• To broaden their base of information
  
• To communicate world-wide
  
• To connect with like-minded people and share common interests
• To help a worthwhile community based service thrive and expand
• To satisfy curiosity about the "information superhighway"

... and hundreds of other reasons!

Join our OPN/EFN community today!