Rob's blog

No, I'm not talking about turning West Jordan into some kind of utopian "dream" community. UTOPIA is the name for the project that cities are part of to bring fiber-optic broadband Internet service to their residents and businesses. The difference between broadband speed offered by fiber-optic and that offered by DSL, cable or dial-up modem is astounding. Information can be sent in seconds that would take hours or even days using older, slower methods. From a technology standpoint, I am all for it.

UTOPIA's goal is to make this kind of communication option available to those who want it or need super-high speed Internet connections for their business. Since the telcomms and cable companies haven't stepped up to provide this kind of option to the market yet, municipal government have stepped up and classified this service as a kind of infrastructure like water, electricity, roads, etc. that are provided and maintained by local government. This has private industry upset and even threatening to sue because government does not have to face the same risk as business does. If government runs in the red, they can always raise taxes or transfer money from one infrastructure fund to another to make up the difference (see news article on iProvo doing exactly this in the Deseret News, May 25, 2007). If this happens to a business and they run in the red for too long, they go out of business. They state this as an unfair competitive advantage. I can see their point, but I can also see the point of people who want a service that could be provided by private industry, but who have not to date stepped up to meet the demand of their market.

If private industry has the opportunity and won't take advantage of it, then what is wrong with the public utility from filling the void when it has a definable public interest such as roads, airports, and other ways we enhance the ability to communicate and transact business with each other, which benefits everyone?