UTOPIA is calling Utah cities

UTOPIA may be closer than you think.
UTOPIA — an acronym for the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency — is a still-developing confederation of a dozen
cities, most along the Wasatch Front, that aim to put Utah on the map as a state-of-the-art region where residents and businesses can get
the best data, voice and video transfer technology available, all via a shared fiber-optic network.

By Stephen Speckman
Deseret News staff writer

In the near future, communities that can provide such fiber-optic services may have a
technological advantage over those that do not when trying to lure people and commercial
interests, says Paul Morris, UTOPIA’s chairman and West Valley’s city attorney for West
Valley City.

Imagine a highway that can handle a billion cars at any given moment as opposed to one
large enough for only 256,000. Apply those same numbers to computer bits of information,
and that’s how fiber-optic strands are being compared to DSL (digital subscriber line) and
cable technology, currently considered the most efficient and reliable modes of transferring
bits of data and image
If cities can’t provide the latest high-tech services like fiber-optic systems, heralded as
much faster and more reliable than DSL or cable, those inquiring will likely go elsewhere,
said Morris, who heads the telecommunications task force for the Utah League of Cities and
Towns.

The prospect of a fiber-optic technological superhighway has Utah cities talking about
feasibility studies and investing money in a shared — but huge and costly — network.
Communities expressing an interest include West Valley, Murray, Layton, Sandy, South
Jordan, Cedar City, Orem, Alpine, Highland and Lindon.

UTOPIA’s most significant impact could one day be to help bridge the "last mile" that leads from this superhighway to homes and
businesses where the technology can be put to practical use with computers, TVs, telephones, home-security systems, and even
instantaneous utility meter readings and utility load control that can help homes in "wired communities" conserve energy.

Murray leaders say they’re already ahead of the game and that their $2-million fiber-optic system is attracting notable companies. A new
hospital is being built in the city, and the facility’s data-intensive operations — for everything from medical and educational video conferences
to transferring medical records and X-rays — are expected to someday benefit from the city’s system.

Currently, Murray’s fiber-optic backbone serves only the city’s internal operations and the school district, but it could be expanded,
particularly to new projects in the community that already have empty but fiber-optic-ready conduit in place. Right now, less than one-fifth of
the city’s 144 strands of fiber optic cable are "lit" or active.
"We may in fact converge with UTOPIA," said Gary Merrill, director of power and telecommunications for Murray. "We tried to look at it as
a long-term investment in terms of the community we serve," he added.

Morris gave a presentation in Murray earlier this month, and the city is considering a resolution, like one approved March 5 by West
Valley City, that officially recognizes UTOPIA as a separate legal entity that will study the feasibility of several cities linking to a fiber-optic
network.

Still in its infancy, UTOPIA right now consists of big ideas and small investments.
For about 15 cents per resident, or a minimum of $5,250, any Utah city can join. Extra costs down the line would include a feasibility
study for the engineering and design of the system.
If UTOPIA progresses beyond that point, the cities would likely use revenue bonds to cover the infrastructure costs, Morris said. Private
utility companies would link into the system and then sell the service to the public.

"It’s going to promote competition," Morris said. "Better service and lower prices.
"We’ll only do this if the private industry likes this . . . , which we think they will," he said.

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