UTOPIA director resigns

Todd Marriott, the executive director charged with turning around the troubled high-speed Internet network known as UTOPIA, has stepped down.

UTOPIA board chairman, Wayne Pyle, said the board approached Marriott about the resignation, and the decision was mutual. "We just felt like it was time to move on and go in another direction. Having had a conversation with him, he was fine with that," Pyle said. "We’re in a transition time here.” “We’re going to want and need his support, and he’s going to give that to us going forward," Pyle added. UTOPIA is a high-speed gigabit Internet network operated by a consortium of 11 northern Utah cities from Brigham City to Payson. Since it started 11 years ago, UTOPIA -- which stands for the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency -- has struggled with problems over its construction, management, and failed deals with vendors. To pay for the network, the member cities issued two rounds of bonds totaling up to $500 million in debt over 40 years. So far, UTOPIA has only signed up about 11,200 subscribers, well below its original projections.