As Internet child pornography continues to thrive despite efforts to put a stop to it, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA), in collaboration with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), decided to take action and do everything in their power to protect children against such threats.

The virtual world is not a safe one for children, and some parents are still unaware that without adult supervision, children can easily fall into traps. The partnership between the two entities was saluted as a “ground-breaking step toward protecting children in the online world,” as FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate said in a statement.

All cable operators in NCTA that are responsible for 87 percent of the Internet provided to U.S. homes have agreed to an unprecedented move to stop the proliferation of child pornography by committing to help combat child pornography and exploitation, and provide online safety and Internet literacy for American families.

Ernie Allen, President and CEO NCMEC called it an “industry-wide attack on child pornography,” formed out of the necessity to continue to create new strategies and public-private partnerships to address the problem in more efficient ways.

Cable operators have agreed to use the list of active sites that contain child pornography, as provided by NCMEC, and make sure no such site is hosted by servers belonging to them. Furthermore, the companies also agreed to report the instances back to NCMEC, where the appropriate measures will be taken.

As NCMEC President and CEO pointed out in a statement, it is impossible to arrest and prosecute every sex offender. However, the new agreement should not only help NCMEC identify instances of child pornography, but also enable them to refer the cases to law enforcement for investigation and prosecution.