If you live in Tremonton, Brigham City, Perry, Centerville or Layton, I have good news: UTOPIA plans to resume construction Real Soon Now(TM). So long as city councils approve the reconstruction of the loans, construction will begin in the northernmost cities this May with construction in Davis County to pick up again later this year. The deployments will be focused on building the fiber rings in each city and then building out into the neighborhoods to hook up homes and businesses. Going out to end users will now be driven by customer demand filtered through providers, essential for maximizing take rates.
So why the construction delays? Blame the USDA. They've been dragging their heels for some unknown reason and have failed to disburse the money from the approved RUS loan. The financial restructuring is so that UTOPIA can have the money to resume construction without having to wait for the money from the feds. Since they are contractually obligated to build out RUS cities right now and can't expend money from non-RUS cities to do it, the financing is absolutely required to move forward.
The Deseret Morning News wasted no time in ignoring these realities in a new boilerplate editorial rooting for the project's failure. The Utah Taxpayers Association also piled on in their most recent newsletter (warning: PDF). Neither of them acknowledged how UTOPIA has repeatedly has the rug pulled out from under them (Qwest lawsuit halting construction, utilities illegally blocking access to poles, delays in RUS funding) and yet has still managed to not call one red cent of pledged sales taxes, a feat that should be lauded instead of derided.
You can read more from the Davis County Clipper and Deseret Morning News.
Thanks for the info Jesse, it’s nice to have an UPDATED website for Utopia. I had started to worry about the lines that are collecting dust in my parkstrip. Now I have reason to hope again.