Category Archives: Cheers

Good news.

UTOPIA Joins the Exclusive 1Gbps Club

  By Jesse | June 12, 2012 - 3:24 pm | , ,
23 Comments

Today UTOPIA announced that they will be offering 1Gbps connections to every home they pass. Word on the street is that getting a connection that’s faster than your hard drive (!) should run in the neighborhood of $330-ish per month if you’re leasing the connection. Right now, only a handful of providers in the country offer such blistering speeds to residential customers.

Some other fun facts from the media day:

  • UTOPIA’s highest bandwidth customer consumes 20Gbps worth.
  • Centerville is completely built out. If you live in Centerville, you can get service right now. About 500 residents have already chosen to do so, just over 10% of total households.
  • Homes with multiple set-top boxes will have the greatest need for 1Gbps connections. Currently, 4-5 of them can saturate a 100Mbps connection.
  • You could, in theory, get 10Gbps at your home, but UTOPIA isn’t all that comfortable leaving $10K worth of electronics sitting in your house.

You can check out pictures of the event on Google+ or Facebook.

Here’s UTOPIA’s full press release: (more…)

UTOPIA Lands DISH Network

  By Jesse | March 6, 2012 - 10:36 am | ,
4 Comments

In a huge move, UTOPIA has just announced that national satellite provider DISH Network is now a provider on the network. Scoring an A-list provider in the telecom space is a major coup and could very well prompt other established operators to sign up as providers. Packages through DISH will include Blockbuster streaming and their own brand of TV Everywhere, Sling, that will allow you to watch programs on your smartphone or tablet.

See below for the full press release. (more…)

SB112 Fails in the Senate

  By Jesse | February 7, 2012 - 11:33 am | ,
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SB112, the bill that would give cable companies a large tax advantage in the state of Utah, died on the Senate floor today in a 12-16 vote. While this doesn’t guarantee that a modified version of the bill won’t come back up for discussion, it seem less likely as the $7M price tag was a bit too much for the Senate to swallow. I think we can safely consider this one dead and buried for this session.

1Wire Goes Residential with SumoFiber

  By Jesse | September 13, 2011 - 9:53 pm | , ,
16 Comments

UTOPIA has added a new residential provider to the network via existing commercial provider 1Wire. SumoFiber will be offering 50M/50M, 100M/100M, and 1G/1G Internet and unlimited phone. Given the prices, I assume they are before the UIA costs are added in, but it’s still pretty competitive.

The good news about this addition is that it’s coming from a company with a performance record. UTOPIA has increased standards significantly for new and existing providers to try and prevent the kinds of problems we saw with Mstar and their resulting trail of wreckage. If anyone signs up for service, let us know how they do.

(Thanks to reader David for pointing out the addition.)

Confirmed: Infowest to Provide Residential Service

  By Jesse | May 4, 2011 - 9:00 am | ,
3 Comments

I’ve had it confirmed that Infowest, currently a commercial provider, will be participating on UTOPIA as a residential provider as part of the new UIA expansion push. Given that Prime Time, Connected Lyfe, and Fuzecore have all had to bow out for one reason or another, it’s good to know that there will be more options for residential customers who join the network in the future. I’m pretty sure they’ll offer voice and data, but no word on video options.

If you have any experience with Infowest, leave it in the comments.

UTOPIA Starts Construction Season

  By Jesse | April 20, 2011 - 8:40 pm | ,
5 Comments

After many, many months of inaction, UTOPIA is finally starting to move some more fiber into the ground starting with Centerville. This is the start of wiring up anchor institutions using the federal broadband grants, money that should touch most member cities. It won’t get the fiber all the way to your house, but it will wire schools, hospitals, libraries, and other government buildings which will make hooking up neighborhoods much easier and cheaper.

So what do you need to do to get service when it rolls by near you? Go to UTOPIA’s website and register your interest. They will be using those registrations to identify places to market to. If your city is part of the UIA, you’ll be able to get the install cost rolled into your monthly fees. If your city is not part of the UIA or is not a UTOPIA member city, you need to go talk to your city council to get that fixed.

A Better Way to Find UTOPIA Coverage

  By Jesse | February 2, 2011 - 11:29 am | ,
3 Comments

One of the long-standing complaints with UTOPIA has been a lack of data and, to be honest, it’s a fair criticism (and one I share). At the top of the list is trying to figure out just where the heck service is actually available. Thanks to the Utah Broadband Project, we now know. Just select UTOPIA from the list of providers and you’ll know which census blocks the service is actually available on. Naturally, it doesn’t mean that every house has an existing connection, but it gives you a much better idea than just “somewhere in the city”.

UTOPIA on the Way to Centerville

  By Jesse | January 26, 2011 - 8:35 pm | , ,
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Yeah, I know, you’ve heard it before. This time, though, UTOPIA has a sack full of federal dollars to financing building out the middle-mile infrastructure in Centerville. Does this mean service in your neighborhood? Not entirely. The construction will get as far as the substations in the city, but getting it into your house means getting enough of your interested neighbors to sign up for service via the new UIA plan.  Jog on over to UTOPIA’s interest form and get your name on the list to be notified if/when they’re ready to build out your neighborhood.

Read more from the Clipper.

BREAKING: UTOPIA Scores $16.2M in Stimulus Funding

  By Jesse | August 18, 2010 - 10:34 am | , ,
2 Comments

The Obama Administration announced today a new round of broadband stimulus funding that includes $16.2M for UTOPIA. That money can go a really long way towards deploying more of the network in UTOPIA’s footprint and can, at the average install cost, cover around 5400 additional homes. UTOPIA plans to hold an event at the state capitol tomorrow at 10AM to explain the details.

Source: WhiteHouse.gov (warning: PDF)

h/t: Stimulating Broadband

Press Release: National provider PAETEC joins the UTOPIA network

  By Jesse | August 11, 2010 - 8:17 pm | , ,
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WEST VALLEY CITY – August 10, 2010 – The Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA; http://www.utopianet.org) today announced that PAETEC (http://paetec.com) is that most recent service provider to join the fully-fiber, open access network. PAETEC offers business-class customers a comprehensive suite of data, voice, and IP services, as well as enterprise communications management software, network security solutions, and managed services. PAETEC serves over 84 of the top 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas and has customers in all 50 states.

“We’re thrilled to have our first national provider join the network,” says Todd Marriott, UTOPIA’s executive director. “They have a solid reputation for value-add offerings and value-add service. Their unmatched quality in markets across the country will also be a tremendous benefit to customers on the UTOPIA network. And their decision to join the UTOPIA network is great validation of the improvements and growth we’ve seen over the last two years. The addition of PAETEC’s services to our already robust lineup is proof that open fiber networks just keep getting better – providing quality products and new, innovative services from scores of great providers.”

“PAETEC is the premier alternative to the incumbent telephone and cable companies, based on our nationwide footprint, breadth of products, and quality of service. And we’re excited to expand that footprint with UTOPIA,” says Arunas A. Chesonis, PAETEC’s CEO. “We’ve seen dynamic growth since we were found in 1998 because we believe in basic values – providing unmatched cost-effective solutions and first-rate customer service. There are many reasons why customers initially select PAETEC; however, the relationship established is what keeps them with us. UTOPIA has these same values and we’re excited to expand our offerings to more Utah customers.”

Today’s announcement makes PAETEC the 12th provider on the UTOPIA network. UTOPIA connects fiber directly to customers’ homes and businesses, allowing them to receive unmatched clarity and speed without interruptions from copper wiring and shared connections with neighbors.