The Wireless Association, in partnership with the nation's leading carriers, today unveiled the "Wireless Content Guidelines," a voluntary pledge by the industry to proactively provide tools and controls to manage wireless content offered by the carriers or available via Internet-enabled wireless devices.
"Today's wireless consumers can enjoy an increasingly wide variety of content, including video clips of movies and television shows, weather and news reports, music, games and ring tones," said Steve Largent, President and CEO of CTIA. "The Wireless Content Guidelines were developed to help consumers better understand the incredible opportunities wireless technology provides, while most importantly equipping parents to protect the people they care about most - their children."
A significant component of the Guidelines is the Content Classification Standard which divides content that subscribers may access within their carrier's managed content portal into two categories: Generally Accessible Carrier Content and Restricted Carrier Content. The content will be categorized using criteria based on the movie, television, music and games rating systems that are already familiar to consumers. The Wireless Content Guidelines create standards intended to ensure carrier-offered content either excludes or requires parent or guardian permission to access any material inappropriate for subscribers under 18.
The Guidelines reflect the carriers' pledge not to offer any Restricted Content until they have provided controls to allow parents to restrict access to this type of content.
"Parents must ultimately decide what materials are most suitable for their children, and wireless carriers participating in this important measure are committed to providing parents with the necessary tools to do so," said Largent.
A second phase of the industry's Wireless Content Guidelines initiative will be for carriers to develop and implement Internet Content Access Control technologies that will enable wireless account holders to block access to the internet entirely or provide tools to block access to specific websites that consumers might consider inappropriate. Carriers will independently implement internet access control tools.
Although carriers have no control over content generally available on the Internet, this important step is intended to give consumers, particularly parents, the ability to limit what Internet content can be accessed through their family's wireless devices. Carriers are aggressively researching technological solutions and implementation of controls will vary according to each carrier's unique business plans and technological capabilities. In the interim, consumers may choose individually whether or not to purchase wireless Internet service.
