Unsatisfied by counterparts’ recent deal with cable Internet serv...
Unsatisfied by counterparts’ recent deal with cable Internet service providers, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo wants Comcast to give in to his demand to block child pornography. Cuomo told Comcast in a letter Monday that it has until…
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Saturday to commit to Cuomo’s code of conduct, which hasn’t been released publicly. Verizon, Time Warner Cable, Sprint, AT&T and AOL have signed on to the code (CD July 11 p4). Otherwise, Cuomo said, he will take “legal action” against Comcast. Last week, NCTA signed agreements on blocking child porn with 48 state AGs. Cuomo didn’t sign that pact. Comcast has “continued to drag its heels when it comes to taking every necessary action to eliminate” child porn on Usenet newsgroups and Web sites, Cuomo said. His code of conduct is designed “as narrowly as possible” to ensure that participating ISPs remove only “felonious material,” he said. Cuomo disclosed that he subpoenaed Comcast May 6 and began talks with the company “several weeks ago” about adopting the code. He played down the NCTA’s effort, saying “cable industry trade groups have recently signaled some interest” against child porn. “These efforts fall well short of the full range of measures” in his code, Cuomo said. Comcast can expect legal action by New York if it lingers “at the back of the pack in the race to fight this scourge,” he said. Comcast probably will fall into line, it indicated. The company said in a written statement that it appreciates Cuomo’s efforts and “we expect to become a signatory to his agreement.” But Comcast also praised “his Attorney General colleagues,” who signed an “unprecedented and highly praised” agreement against child porn. The NCTA agreement drew praise from Hill and federal agencies, with plaudits voiced by Sens. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Mark Pryor, D-Ark., sponsors of a child-safety bill, and FCC Commissioners Robert McDowell and Deborah Tate. USTelecom declined to tell us whether the same state AG coalition as reached out to NCTA has approached it, or whether it’s heard from Cuomo’s office. The group shares “the concerns of the state Attorneys General and FCC commissioners” about child porn, it said. Some of its members “already signed on to these agreements,” it said: “We strongly support these goals.” It’s unclear what USTelecom meant in referring to plural “agreements,” since Cuomo is the only state AG known to get telcos’ cooperation. California ISPs at first strongly resisted state officials’ demands that they do as Cuomo wants. But ISPs recently said they plan to announce cooperation with California (CD July 11 p4).