Wed 30 Jul 2008
Frontier Communications, the incumbent phone carrier in Tremonton, has decided to give UTOPIA a helping hand by implementing a 5GB monthly cap on all of their DSL customers to drive them into the arms of a competitor. By comparison, the lowest cap available from a UTOPIA provider is 20 times that at 100GB per month. When the service starts rolling out in September and October, I’m sure that UTOPIA will see a good number of signups from angry customers who don’t appreciate per-byte billing.
One of two possibilities exists: they arrogantly think they’re so much better that nobody will switch or don’t see how boneheaded a move this is. Either way, it highlights the need for a bit of competition in the marketplace.
August 1st, 2008 at 6:42 am
I hope they engage in some form of notifying people of the alternative. I’ve talked to people in Layton who have never heard of UTOPIA, and it’s one of the member cities.
Is there some kind of map somewhere showing where UTOPIA is already available? It would help folks moving to a new home in deciding where they might want to live.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:35 am
There are maps, but UTOPIA doesn’t like to share them for fear that Qwest and Comcast will use them as part of their marketing plan (i.e. heavily targeting those areas with special offers). The new website should include a way to check and see if service is available in your area and register your intent to get service if it’s not. In the meantime, talk to your city’s representative on the UTOPIA board to find out more.
August 2nd, 2008 at 2:22 am
This is a foolish policy. One of the greatest problems I have seen with UTOPIA is that many people have not heard about it. A map would be a helpful aide. I say don’t make people work so hard to find out about the service. Let the competition offer special deals. People will see that UTOPIA offers more bang for the buck.
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:25 am
I’m also in favor of releasing the maps, but I can also understand their reasons for not doing so.