The technology is considered essential to ending bottlenecks on the Internet. Cisco Systems says it's already in field trials with a similar device. Juniper's CEO claims their product will ship within the next year. Prodigy and EarthLink have targeted alumni as a prime market, and analysts like their plans. Libel lawyers agree that once a third party has access to the material, libel laws apply.
Current law has two opposite precedents for providers' responsibilities.
One decision says CompuServe had no responsibility because it had no editorial control, another says Prodigy acted as an editor. The news organizations expressed concern that since they routinely report stories that include violence and sexual situations, these ratings would limit access to legitimate news sites. The situation mirrors the ratings scheme for TV, which exempts TV news organizations from rating their shows. According to U of Virginia law professor Robert M. O'Neil, people often believe that communication in cyberspace does not have the weight of printed matter, which is not true. The only channel that has committed to high-definition programming is HBO, which will begin HDTV broadcasting next summer.