If you are in the NE, I encourage you to participate in an event from the fabulous Berkman Center. On February 25, the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School will host a Federal Communications Commission en banc hearing on broadband network management practices, and a public post-panel discussion and reception.

The FCC will hear from two panels of stakeholders who will offer policy and technical perspectives. Panelists will include executives from BitTorrent, Comcast, Verizon, and Sony, as well as network visionaries and architects. Berkman Center Faculty Co-Director Yochai Benkler will speak on the policy panel.

The full schedule and list of panelists can be downloaded at:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280373A1.pdf.

Remember when Comcast got caught blocking web content? Well, prompted by complaints about recent actions by Comcast, the FCC -- the government agency responsible for regulating the Internet -- has asked the public to comment on whether or not the companies controlling the pipes should dictate what content gets through them.

This is a complicated issue that could have a pretty simple outcome for nonprofits across the country: your content could be blocked.

Lots of us work on issues that can be viewed as controversial. If you work in sex education or reproductive health, you've probably already had to cope with technologies that make it hard for you to deliver your message to stakeholders. Take just one example: NARAL Pro-Choice America text messages were temporarily censored by a mobile provider last fall.

But it's not just sex talk that's in jeopardy. Without protection, any organization's work could be blocked at any time, for any reason. It's important that nonprofits engage in this debate and actively shape the outcome here.

You can get involved today: leave your comment with the FCC. The agency is accepting comments through February 13.  Our sector needs to be represented.