UTOPIA continues aggressive expansion, unbothered by supply chain constraints, labor shortage

UTOPIA Fiber--the operator of a Utah-based, community-owned Open Access fiber network--said it made fiber available to 26,000 new homes during 2021 and that 65 percent of new subscribers on its network are using services of 1 Gbps or higher, up from 48 percent a year ago. Regarding the jump in 1-gig subscribers, UTOPIA Deputy Director and CMO Kimberly McKinley said, “As consumers become more educated, they want the speed and capacity that gigabit-speed fiber can bring. Sure, most of our customers really only need 250 Mbps, but consumers are opting for the higher packages." She continued: "When consumers have the choice for higher speed, they opt for it, which is a very different narrative than what is being told to lawmakers.” That last comment was clearly a dig at the traditional service providers and other critics of municipal broadband projects like UTOPIA, which stands for Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency. The company continues aggressive build-out in the face of those naysayers, having laid 455 miles of fiber optic cable last year, completing construction in the towns of Payson and Midvale (UT), and adding Syracuse and Pleasant Grove (UT) to its network, adding 7,500 new residential subscribers in the process, along with 505 businesses and 139 schools and anchor institutions. The company also said its progress wasn’t slowed by the supply chain constraints that have affected other companies. UTOPIA also added 13 new employees last year at a time when companies in many industries are suffering through a shortage of skilled labor.