This week is in important deadline for preserving net neutrality for an open Internet. These policies, being considered by the Federal Communications Commission, impact how everyone can use the Internet -- and as you may have heard in the news, a key part of the proposal will permit some companies to pay Internet companies so that their content will be faster and better for users. Here at UCC's media justice ministry, we have been long-time proponents of open Internet, and so have many of our friends in the faith community.

Sign up to receive updates about an open Internet from UCC's media justice ministry, and check out these great posts from around the web about Net Neutrality from the faith community:

10 Reasons Net Neutrality Matters to Progressive Christians  Our own UCC brand of affirmatively inclusive and justice-driven perspective, written by Kimberly Knight of our board. "We as compassionate livin’, justice seekin’, radically inclusive Christians can be, should be, role models for the whole world groaning toward justice. … We cannot condone a system that conditions a critical right on the ability to pay."

Killing Net Neutrality Kills the Dreams of Young Entrepreneurs  Joshua DuBois, the President’s former head of faith-based outreach, connecting Net Neutrality to Obama’s signature initiatives on equity--showing a young African American boy who is helped in so many ways by progressive policies, but is forced to abandon creating his own start-up because he can't compete with the big companies who have a built-in advantage enabled by the paid fast lane.

Life in the Fast Lane: FCC Plan on Net Neutrality Draws Criticism  From the Catholic News Service, "Everyone, at some point, has shifted over from one Communion line to another during Mass because it seemed shorter and, thus, faster.  Now imagine what it would be like if you could always have a ‘fast lane’ to receive Communion -- but you had to pay for it."

National Council of Churches Communications Commission Open Internet Resolution The NCC is a coalition of virtually all major Protestant churches: "We see every day the vital connection between a free and fair communications system and the achievement of important social justice goals… and therefore … urge the Federal Communications Commission to take any and all action to adopt network neutrality, including reclassification of broadband services as a telecommunications service, as a fundamental and necessary part of the framework for all forms of broadband Internet service…"