“Net neutrality is the First Amendment issue of our time,” Al Franken said at the Netroots Nation conference.

Whether you usually agree with Franken or not, this is one issue that associations — especially smaller ones — should be concerned about.

The First Amendment is near and dear to my heart, as I’ve written here before. And net neutrality is a huge issue that affects everyone who uses the Internet in the United States. (I’m thinking that would be most people.)

Shelly Alcorn gives the lowdown in this April post (which I certainly encourage everyone to read), but essentially, we all have been receiving Internet access from service providers. Your provider and connection level determine your speed, so you either have a fast Internet connection or a slow one. The speed at which websites load depends on your connection level.

However, big Telecom companies have been trying to deregulate and change this for years.

Why is this a problem?

Nonprofit organizations and associations rely on the Internet for grassroots advocacy. It’s an easy, cost-effective way to reach thousands (or millions) of people. But if corporate America gets its hands on Internet (de)regulation, Internet Service Providers will be able to discriminate among different types of content. Imagine a world where one particular website loads much more quickly than another, purely based on its content.

According to savetheinternet.com:

Net Neutrality is the reason the Internet has driven economic innovation, democratic participation and free speech online. It protects the consumer’s right to use any equipment, content, application or service without interference from the network provider. With Net Neutrality, the network’s only job is to move data — not to choose which data to privilege with higher quality service.

This is a big deal for small nonprofits and trade organizations. The big cable companies want to be the gatekeepers to the Internet, and big companies will decide what sites load at which speeds. It should go without saying that competitors’ sites will load more slowly.

Small organizations can’t compete with Big Telecom. Net Neutrality makes sure that small businesses and organizations don’t have giant hurdles to jump in order to succeed. In order to make sure the Internet continues to be a level playing field for all advocacy organizations, and that no Internet users are subjected to “pay for speed” business models, sign a virtual letter to the head of the Federal Communications Commission. Keep yourself informed about FCC Commissioner Julius Genachowski and his agenda. Keep yourself informed by visiting freepress.net.

Every organization, no matter how big or small, has the right to use the Internet for marketing, advocacy, communication and community. Smaller organizations, especially, depend on the Internet because it’s so cost-effective. Stay informed about Net Neutrality and why it’s so important.

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