BOUNTIFUL—UTOPIA Fiber hit a milestone this week – completion of the Bountiful City project that started in 2023. What was to be a three-year project was completed almost a full year ahead of schedule. 

“This is a citywide project,” said Roger Timmerman, Executive Director, UTOPIA Fiber at a press conference on Monday. “We entered into an agreement with the city in partnership with them to build out their entire city with an open access network, state-of-the-art network with 10 gig speeds to every resident and 100 gig for businesses.”

It’s rare in this industry to finish ahead of schedule, said Timmerman. “It’s a very challenging thing to get construction permits and all sorts of things. We attribute this success to the city. They were excellent at working with us in partnership to expedite things.”

The project consists of about 16,500 addresses, he said. “So it’s a medium sized project but still could be very difficult in that size.”

 Timmerman said they are so excited for the community to now have the fastest speeds in the country and the choice of providers and lower costs. “Before they had no fiber options in the city for the residents. So this is a dramatic improvement in quality of life and pricing and speeds and all the benefits that come from fiber infrastructure."

“I’m a Bountiful resident,” said Nicole Cottle, Deputy Director, General Counsel, and Director of Government Affairs, UTOPIA Fiber. “I’m so excited because about three weeks ago I was able to connect to fiber at my home – which has been truly life changing.”

Cottle said she’s lived in Bountiful for 25 years and has had a really difficult time with connectivity for the entire 25 years. “I’ve had a difficult time working from home. So we’re really excited to have the opportunity to connect to fiber and to really be connected to the world.”

Residents of Bountiful have the opportunity to choose between 19 service providers and that competition really drives both the customer service and also the great value received from this really high-end service, she said. “It’s been great to be able to talk to my friends and neighbors about the service providers and how to make those choices and what to look for.”

“It’s common for cities to face opposition from incumbent providers,” said Timmerman. “Bountiful was no exception. As the city contemplated this there were campaigns against it. The residents, though, were very persistent. There were signs in people’s yards. There was a lot of work on social media.”

There was an effort to run a referendum to challenge the decision and force it to a ballot, he said. “That was just a delay tactic and just made things difficult for the city. That failed and the city continued their support of the project.”

“We have to give the credit to the residents on the referendum,” said City Manager Gary Hill. “It was people from outside of the county (running it). Residents didn’t buy what was being sold.”

Hill said the city is very excited about the project completion. “We have a footprint available to everyone to sign up. So far we’ve exceeded our take rates. We had anticipated full take rates in four or five years. Just this month we exceeded that.”

In the beginning residents didn’t know what to expect seeing their park strip torn up, etc., said Mayor Kendalyn Harris. “With a project citywide you’re going to have some issues but crews have been very responsive and diligent about getting landscapes back in if there’s a problem.”

 UTOPIA has been trying hard to respond to residents, said Hill. “If they (residents) have other concerns, call the city so we can get it right.”

“We’ve been hearing glowing reviews,” said Harris. “They’re saying speeds are great and there’s no buffering. They are extremely happy with the service.”

People can still pick from other local companies, she said. “Nobody has to choose it but it’s (infrastructure) is there so if 10 years from now you decide you want it or the person who buys your house can get it if they want it. It’s long term infrastructure.”

“I was able to sign up,” said Hill. “I’m thrilled with the speed and service. We’ve been getting a lot of good feedback.”