Access to the Internet is one of the issues we care about most here at NTEN. The United States is a lowly 15th in the world when it comes to broadband access, and that's almost certainly having an adverse effect on how thousands of nonprofits are able to serve their clients and stakeholders.

It's so bad, FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps has admitted, "America's record in expanding broadband communication is so poor that it should be viewed as an outrage by every consumer and businessperson in the country."

What are we going to do about it?

As a pretty competitive person, I was motivated by the Communication Worker's of America's newest campaign, Speed Matters. The campaign tests your Internet connection and compares it to the communities around you, as well as the rest of the world.

Turns out, I have better access than most others in my state (Oregon), but my speeds were slower than -- *gasp* -- Canada! First the Canadian dollar beats ours, and now this? As much as I like the Canadians I know, I don't like them beating me at anything. (Except hockey. That only seems fair.)

All kidding aside, this is an issue that communities across the country are trying to address. It would certainly help if the federal government had any kind of strategy. So take the speed test, then learn more about what you can do to address the issue in your own community and across this country. The Canadians can clearly take care of themselves.