The issue of Net Neutrality has been researched and debated amidst academics and media professionals for over a decade, but the major players that have a final say on how equal information is over the Internet haven't always invited the public to comment. So when the FCC received over one million comments tackling the subject, which encourages broadband network providers to treat all information equally and not take money to make some content go faster, it was a bit of a revelation that the public was paying attention to that degree to speak out against the issue.

But perhaps the FCC was only flooded with feedback because somebody broke the complicated issue down and made it relatable. The Pew Research Center found that the volume of comments the FCC received on Net Neutrality during their open comment period increased substantially after comedian John Oliver brought it into startling perspective on his show. The FCC's open comment period on proposed new rules ran from February to July, with a bulk of comments received right after Oliver addressed the topic. Prior to his segment, the topic had not received much attention from mainstream media.

The issue, as Oliver put it, was that the cable companies had figured out a simple truth: "If you want to do something evil, put it inside something boring." He showed clips of C-Span's Net Neutrality coverage, with those covering the issue using hyper dry, technical speech to discuss the problems with turning over an open Internet. 

While online petitions have encouraged the use of template letters to address these campaigns, almost half of the comments received were organic, and many groups supported Net Neutrality for likeminded reasons. NPR explored the emergent issues in a cluster map, with comments speaking out against a pay-to-play "fast lane" on the Internet because it would hurt innovation and diversity.

Creating an Internet fast lane would have an obvious impact on startups and community news sites in competition with mainstream media, where finite resources are best used on creating content and strengthening infrastructure.

It's possible to take this approach to make any arcane issue more engaging to your community -- zoning, the city budget, public health statistics, education outcomes and more. In addition to providing clear backgrounders, plain-language FAQs, and eye-catching data visualizations, also consider the power of incisive wit to engage and inform your community.