UTOPIA Partners with Golden State Connect Authority to Bring Broadband to Rural California

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2022 — The Golden State Connect Authority has entered a partnership with Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency to assist in the development and operation of high-speed internet infrastructure in rural California.

UTOPIA will help design, build, and operate a 38-county municipal open access network, the largest of its kind in the United States.

A memorandum of understanding initiating the partnership was approved by the GSCA board of directors on March 25 and by the UTOPIA Fiber board on April 11.

In the press release, Jack Garamendi, GSCA board chair and Calaveras county supervisor, said that “UTOPIA Fiber has proven itself to be an industry leader with demonstrated expertise in establishing and operating an Open Access network that invites internet service providers to compete for customers, resulting in price and speed choices for consumers.

UTOPIA Fiber, a sponsor of Broadband Breakfast, has been busy with projects in states such as Montana and Utah, where it uses open access model in which internet service providers share the infrastructure.