Status: RO


        Welcome to Express Access Online Communications Service


   We are happy to have you as a customer.  If at any time you have 
   any questions about our service, please feel free to call us at
   our offices and we will do our best to help.

   The Express Access User's Guide is available online, along with
   help and system information: just type the command "help".
   You'll be receiving a copy of the User's Guide in the mail 
   shortly, if you haven't already.  This is your major source of 
   information on how to use Express Access.  While we understand 
   that many people prefer not to read the manual before trying 
   something new, we think that you will find the system here 
   easier to understand if you take a few moments to read the manual.

   There are some rules and regulations pertaining to the use of 
   Express Access; nothing that we think you will object to, but 
   it is best for all concerned if you will read the section of 
   the User's Guide on Policy and Procedure (Section 7) so that 
   you understand them.

   An Account Application and Contract is included in the 
   package with the manual.  When you receive it, please take a
   few moments to complete and sign the form, and return it to us
   in the enclosed postage-paid envelope.

   You should know that since this is a relatively new system, we
   have a somewhat limited newsfeed with a short expiration for most
   groups (currently around three days or so).  As we grow, we'll be
   able to put in larger drives for more news.  While we have many 
   newsgroups locally, if there is a newsgroup that you don't find
   here and would like to have it, let us know and we'll do our best
   to get it for you.  There is another alternative, however, and
   that is to use a newsreader that feeds from the news server at our
   parent site in Maryland.  Currently there is only one such
   newsreader -- called trn.nntp.  It works exactly the same as trn.
   The advantage is that you will then have access to a _full_ 
   newsfeed with a long expiration (approximately three weeks).  The
   disadvantage is that trn.nntp can be a little slower while reading
   news (it has to come over the network).  At the moment, trn.nntp
   is the only newsreader that supports this option -- we'll let you
   know when others become available.  One last note: you'll need to
   choose to use either a local newsreader or one that reads over the
   net (for now, just trn.nntp) -- you can't switch back and forth
   often because the articles are numbered differently.

   We hope that you enjoy using our service, and if there is 
   anything that we can do to make things better for you, please
   let us know.   Welcome to the machine.


   Office phone number:     (301) 220-2020  (800) 969-9090
   electronic mail address: help

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