PointSmart.ClickSafe

Bright House Networks is a member of The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA). The NCTA, compromised of cable companies collectively serving more than 90 percent of the nation’s cable television households, and Cable in the Classroom have launched Cable Puts You in Control: PointSmart.ClickSafe., a comprehensive initiative to educate consumers and parents about online safety and the appropriate use of the Internet by children.

PointSmart.ClickSafe. is designed to take a holistic approach to online safety, emphasizing three key components:

Control – online parental controls and setting rules for children about online use;

Education – media literacy skills especially in an online environment; and

Choice – helping children make the right choices online.

Bright House Networks has pledge to all the key components of PointSmart.ClickSafe.:

• Offer parental controls or filters free of charge to help families manage online content and if appropriate block content that they may determine is unsuitable for use by their families.

• Offer various educational resources for parents, children, and other consumers about online parental controls and Internet-related media literacy.

• Participate through Cable in the Classroom in partnerships with school-based and community based education groups to ensure that information on Internet safety and literacy is available to teachers, parents and caregivers.

• In conformity with all legal requirements, cooperate with law enforcement officials to help prevent, police and prosecute potential criminal activity online.

PointSmart.ClickSafe. includes other important key elements which will make a difference in keeping kids safe online:

• Partnerships with expert organizations, including the American Association of School Librarians, Common Sense Media, iKeepSafe, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the National PTA, the Public Library Association, and State Educational Technology Directors Association, which will help develop and deliver resources for parents.

• Plans for a major summit focusing exclusively on child online safety, where a variety of participants including safety advocates, Internet service providers and software companies will discuss “best practices” for online safety.

• Plans for the establishment of an inter-industry commission to develop “gold standards” for online safety practices.

• A resource-rich web site, PointSmartClickSafe.org, especially designed to give parents information about online parental controls and media literacy, and help children make the right choices when online.

• The distribution of comprehensive customer communication materials to cable companies and programming networks to help them communicate about the initiative and its resources for parents.

• The use of community events focused on online safety and media literacy to be held in schools and libraries as another means of reaching parents.

Bright House Networks is committed to working with the NCTA to ensure that the youth throughout its service area are protected online.