Today is the beginning of a potentially new era for the Internet, an era that fully recognizes what is – like it or not – one of the most prolific facets of the information superhighway.

At 11 AM Eastern Time, the metaphorical switch will be turned on to more than 100,000 websites with the extension “.xxx” despite years of debate over whether or not this day would come.

The ICM Registry, which has the task of doling out and managing the new domain suffix, released a statement saying, “The Internet is home to a wealth of content, suitable for a wide range of ages and values. The adult entertainment industry has, and always will, account for a large amount of this content and while it is enjoyed by some, it is not suitable, or of interest, to all Internet users.”

Today is the culmination of years of struggle between ICM, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN), and countless website owners both in and out of the adult entertainment industry.

Playboy license owner Manwin Licensing International is among the most notable company that has filed a lawsuit to get rid of the new extension, claiming the process of registering new “xxx” sites was illegal.

But ICM has shown no hesitation in getting the new sites up for today’s launch. ICM and its supporters have praise for the new initiative. The idea is to create a network of sites that is so universally accepted that porn surfers will only trust .xxx sites, and parents will have a much easier time blocking inappropriate sites for their children.

ICM summed it all up, saying, “Regardless of your views on adult content, it’s here to stay, so let’s be adult about it.”