July 2022 | Vol. 08 Iss. 07
FREE
UTOPIA FIBER-OPTIC NETWORK NOW AVAILABLE TO ALL OF WEST VALLEY CITY By Darrell Kirby | d.kirby@mycityjournals.com
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fter years of construction and questions about its financial efficacy, the UTOPIA fiber-optic network is in place throughout all of West Valley City. UTOPIA (Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency) Fiber and West Valley City manager Wayne Pyle announced in late May that the high-speed network is available to all residents and businesses in the city who have the option of connecting to the highspeed network. West Valley City is the largest city in Utah and second biggest in the United States to be fully connected to a fiber-optic network. Actual broadband service is delivered through UTOPIA’s network by private internet service providers. “UTOPIA Fiber is an important part of our economy in West Valley City,” Pyle, who is also chairman of the consortium’s board of directors, said in a press release. “Having fiber built to every home and business has enabled us to bridge the digital divide,” he continued, adding that it has also helped the city attract and retain major employers. “We are seeing some strong growth in subscriptions in West Valley,” said Kim McKinley, UTOPIA’s chief marketing officer. She adds that a better indication of subscriber acceptance will come after a campaign to let people know the service is available to them, but numbers show about 5,000 customers receiving UTOPIA service out of 30,000 homes that have it available to them. “West Valley is a very diverse city. We’re working to put more Spanish-speaking ads to reach people who might not be impacted by our traditional marketing efforts,” she said. McKinley noted there may be pockets of housing along private
Following years of work, UTOPIA fiber-optic lines have been installed throughout West Valley City, enabling residents and businesses to
Continued page 6 connect to high-speed internet through private internet service providers. (Photo courtesy UTOPIA Fiber)
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Unified track
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