Assemblyman Joseph D. Morelle, D-Irondequoit, today joined state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo at East Irondequoit Middle School in announcing that six more Internet providers have entered into an agreement to block major sources of child pornography.

Following an investigation earlier this year, Cuomo's office announced deals with AT&T, Verizon, Time Warner Cable, Sprint and other major telecoms to shut down so-called "newsgroups" that propagate illegal pornography featuring underage individuals. Newsgroups are not affiliated with Web sites, but they do allow users to upload and download text and photographic files.

Participating providers also agreed to purge all child pornography Web sites identified as such by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Today's announcement involved HughesNet, Earthlink, Clearwire, NetZero, BlueLight Internet and Juno, all of which have some share of the upstate Internet market.

"The exploitation of children in this manner is almost unimaginable, and yet it occurs all too frequently," Morelle said. "Unfortunately, the Internet has provided criminals with cheap and easy access to their victims and to their customers. As someone who has long supported tough laws for sex offenders, especially those who prey on children, I am gratified that the online community has responded so enthusiastically to this initiative.

"I applaud the attorney general and the providers who have taken this important, even historic stand against one of the most serious crimes we face. Andrew Cuomo continues to fight for the issues that matter most to New York's families, and to set new standards of excellence for the attorney general's office."

Attorney General Cuomo's appearance at East Irondequoit Middle School will be broadcast in its entirety on Irondequoit Cable Access Television (ICAT) thanks to the assistance of the East Irondequoit Central School District.

For more information about Cuomo's crackdown on child pornography, use the link below.

Office of NYS Attorney General

About NYS Assemblyman Joseph D. Morelle

Since 1990, Assemblyman Joseph D. Morelle has represented the 132nd Assembly District, which includes portions of the city of Rochester and the Monroe County suburbs of Irondequoit and Brighton. During his tenure in the NYS Legislature, Joe has made economic development and expanding employment opportunities his top priority.