Comcast in not in its best period right now: first FCC Chairman Kevin Martin accused Comcast of illegal practices and violating users’ right to have open access to Internet; now, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo threatened with legal action against Comcast if the cable operator doesn’t sign an agreement to block websites that distribute child pornography within five days.

Cuomo is currently pushing for Internet-service providers to remove newsgroups and block websites with child pornography content, and has notified Comcast of the consequences of failing to comply in a letter sent Monday.

However, Comcast is one step ahead this time, as it joined other cable operators within the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) last week in their unprecedented move to stop the proliferation of child pornography on the Internet.

Comcast responded to Cuomo in an e-mailed statement, saying they have been working with the New York Attorney General on this matter and that they had no problem for this to become a signatory agreement as well.

At the end of last week, NTCA cable operators, which are responsible for 87 percent of the Internet provided to U.S. homes, have agreed to take action and protect children against a thriving phenomenon on the Internet.

Their movement is supported by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), who will provide a list of active sites containing and promoting child pornography, and will take the appropriate measures.

Online sexual predators have become a widely spread phenomenon, especially on social websites, and children surfing the Internet without adult supervision often become pray to these offenders.

Under the new agreement, Internet cable operators are committed to fighting all instances of child pornography, as well as combat child pornography and exploitation and make the Internet a safer place.