Utah’s Open Infrastructure Network Releases Timetable for Fiber in Orem; To Complete Buildout by 2022

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: There is much to cheer for better broadband in Utah, including this report from today’s Daily Herald. The Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency, the U.S.’s largest open access network, is on a roll. It is boasting an accelerated buildout in several Utah commu

Utah’s Open Infrastructure Network Releases Timetable for Fiber in Orem; To Complete Buildout by 2022
An Indiana windmill farm. Photo by Justin Leonard.

BROADBAND BREAKFAST INSIGHT: There is much to cheer for better broadband in Utah, including this report from today’s Daily Herald. The Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency, the U.S.’s largest open access network, is on a roll. It is boasting an accelerated buildout in several Utah communities, and commitments to buildout its remaining cities, including Orem. In addition to this piece, see Orem City Councilmember Sam Lentz’s blog post for more narrative on UTOPIA’s turnaround, in which the network “now uses a self-sustaining model to expand the network,” he says. “We are connecting neighborhoods at an unprecedented rate.” Residents of Orem and other UTOPIA cities see their deployment schedules according to the network’s recently-released timeline.

UTOPIA to complete Orem build out in 2022, from the Daily Herald in Provo/Orem, Utah:

Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency’s high-speed internet will be available to all of Orem by the third quarter of 2022 according to a newly released timeline.

“The framework was put in place two years ago with restructuring and financing projects,” said Roger Timmerman, executive director.

Orem Councilman Sam Lentz has been a strong supporter of UTOPIA and is currently a member of the Utah Infrastructure Agency, an entity organized to provide more oversight for fiber-optic growth.

“While my goal was for Orem to have already been built out by now, I’m grateful to at least see the light at the end of the tunnel now,” Lentz said. “UTOPIA’s leadership and staff have executed a masterful turnaround over the last few years. UTOPIA used to be limping along financially, with very limited expansion and the debt burden on cities climbing each year. We now have a clear, attainable plan to finish the network throughout all UTOPIA cities while reducing how much cities pay toward the debt.”

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Source: UTOPIA to complete Orem build out in 2022 | Orem News | heraldextra.com