services offering satellite sex channels.

But they admit they are unlikely to stop satellite porn fans arranging their own direct hook-ups.

A Government probe started after residents complained to the telecommunications department about a Hamilton firm offering subscriptions to the hard-core Exxxtasy channel.

Home Electronic Services of Reid Street has signed up at least 100 viewers to the triple X-rated service, which is beamed from Canada.

"Bermuda is a relatively conservative society and I think there is a general sense that we ought to look at this,'' said Senator Grant Gibbons, Management and Technology Minister.

"Exxxtasy has been referred to as very hard-core pornography, and offensive I think to most individuals.

"We may not be able to get this kind of material off completely, but I think if we can limit it, particularly with the possibility of children being exposed to it, that would be a good thing.'' He said technology had moved on since the Obscene Publications Act was passed in 1973.

"At that time, material was seen as being either published in a printed format or in a movie or videotape, and that's how they defined offences regarding obscene articles.'' Sen. Gibbons said officials were seeing whether the Act could be updated to include at least some of the modern ways of distributing porn.

Areas being examined included the selling of subscriptions by Bermuda firms, or the "facilitating'' of local subscription services.

Although a firm might not be selling obscene films or videos, it might be profiting from obscene material in other ways, he said.

However, he did not think a change in the law could cover people who contacted a foreign satellite company directly and arranged their own hook-up.

"Technology has gotten to a point where individuals will able to make this choice themselves, and then you get into the question of whether you want to make it a criminal act to do that.

"We don't want to get to a point of making it a criminal act for an individual to look at this stuff, because then that's really an intrusion by Government.'' Government's main concern was about children seeing obscene movies, he said.

But he said parents had to do their part to protect their kids.

Officials are looking at how other countries, like Britain, have blocked satellite porn.

It is believed one option being considered is the banning of adverts for such services.