Golden State Connect Authority and UTOPIA Fiber Partner to Deploy High-Speed Internet in Rural California

Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA) has entered a partnership with Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) Fiber to assist in the development and operation of reliable, affordable high-speed internet infrastructure in rural California. This partnership will bolster the efforts of GSCA to bridge the divide in internet access across its 38 rural member counties through the deployment of an Open-Access, municipal broadband fiber network. GSCA is currently identifying project locations in rural California for the installation of broadband fiber networks, beginning with select initial locations and then expanding to additional project areas. These projects will utilize an Open-Access municipal broadband model, under which multiple internet service providers use the same publicly owned high-speed network to provide a range of services to homes and businesses. This enables increased competition among internet service providers and greater assurance of affordability for consumers. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) initiating the partnership was approved by the GSCA Board of Directors on March 25 and the UTOPIA Fiber Board on April 11. The MOU contemplates that UTOPIA Fiber will provide administrative services for GSCA’s proposed broadband networks utilizing their vast experience building and operating similar Open-Access, municipal networks in other locations in the nation.