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UTOPIA Fiber, a community-owned fiber network that operates in Utah, is celebrating their recent success after defeating “a dark money-funded misinformation campaign” and completing five city buildouts in 2023.
The Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) said they have overcome a campaign against their efforts to forge a successful partnership with Bountiful Fiber, which UTOPIA said is the first partnership of its kind in Utah.
According to UTOPIA, which announced some of their impressive year-over-year figures in a Feb. 20 press release, the first completed footprints for Bountiful City have been released “in record time.”
“The project received unanimous city approval and broke ground in August 2023, after a comprehensive three-year research and evaluation process by the city,” UTOPIA’s announcement stated. “Engaged and passionate Bountiful City residents organized and successfully fought back against a dark money-funded misinformation campaign aimed at obstructing and significantly delaying the construction of their community-owned network.”
First created by a group of Utah cities as a community-owned network that utilizes the open-access model, UTOPIA now provides fiber internet service to 21 cities across the state.
Benchmarks UTOPIA Fiber celebrated included adding 8,233 residential subscribers, bringing UTOPIA Fiber’s overall subscriber count to above 62,000 subscribers, UTOPIA’s announcement stated.
In 2023, UTOPIA also said they placed over 2.7 million linear feet of fiber, enough to circle Salt Lake City seven times, according to the organization.
Roger Timmerman, the executive director of UTOPIA Fiber, said 2023 was one of UTOPIA Fiber’s best years yet.
“By partnering with communities across Utah and the West, we’ve built vital infrastructure that aims to ensure residents and businesses benefit from fast, reliable, and affordable fiber internet connectivity, while leveraging UTOPIA’s expertise and proven track record in efficient network operation, maintenance, and exceptional customer service,” he said, according to UTOPIA Fiber’s release.
In 2023, UTOPIA Fiber also announced that it secured over $36 million in financing and connected over 40 homeowners’ associations. Cities listed as connected by UTOPIA in 2023 included Orem, Cedar Hills, Pleasant Grove, Syracuse, and Santa Clara.
Timmerman said UTOPIA sees success because it is led by people who live in the communities they serve.
“Residents and city officials were tired of waiting for fast internet to become available in their communities,” he said. “They took the matter into their own hands—correctly characterizing fiber as vital infrastructure and demanding more choice and affordable pricing.”
In total, UTOPIA has placed fiber infrastructure that provides access to approximately 200,000 businesses and residences in over 50 communities, UTOPIA’s announcement stated.
