[jiggy2011]

Why does this have to be done at the ISP level, why can they not just add some software to the free router they send out that adds this functionality?

The only way to bypass that would either be via proxy sites (which could be blocked also) or by changing the router around (which could be done via a voluntary MAC address lock on the modem).

I find that often porn filters cause more problems than they solve. For example I went to do some IT support for a small company in their office, they companied that they were having trouble accessing a whole bunch of sites that they needed for work because they were being blocked.

In the end I just asked the office manager if he though that his staff would be likely to sit around watching porn in the office if I turned it off. Of course that was not a real problem that actually was likely to exist so I just turned it off and improved their IT experience in one go.