The Deseret Morning News last Sunday suggested that UTOPIA should be left "to the dreamers."

Those who support a community-owned fiber-optic network admit it. We're dreamers. Big dreamers.

But, we believe that big dreamers are responsible for every significant advancement in this country.

Call us dreamers, but we're also doers. Very practical doers. We have created the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency digital pipeline project to build an ultra-high-capacity communications network on which any number of private companies can provide services.

This public/private partnership is one of the most exciting economic development opportunities to ever hit Utah and we're disappointed the Deseret Morning News hasn't yet caught the vision.

A core role of local government is to provide the essential infrastructure necessary to support a vibrant business community. Residents look to their cities to establish an environment that maintains or enhances their property values. Job creation and economic growth are absolutely dependent on basic infrastructure like roads, bridges, water systems, airports and power.

Today, a new basic infrastructure is crucial to the success of our cities. FCC Chairman Michael Copps put it this way: "Broadband networks will be as critical to this new century as roads, canals and railroads were to the 19th century and the Interstate Highway System and basic telephone networks were to the 20th." More than 200 communities across the nation have already realized this and are building communications networks.

The Deseret Morning News questioned the role of city governments in helping facilitate a fiber infrastructure. We believe it is exactly the role of local government to provide infrastructure that is not feasible for private firms to provide.

Telecom companies have said it is too expensive to run fiber to every home and business. What they really mean is that it would not provide satisfactory returns to their shareholders. We understand that. No single company could justify such an investment. But cities are well suited to install this infrastructure, and because the capacity is so great it can be shared among many firms and the investment repaid over 20 years, a far longer repayment period than a private company would accept.

This is the new communications business model for the Digital Age—multiple private companies sharing a public communications infrastructure.

It's very similar to the municipal airport business model. Would it make economic sense for each airline to build its own airport? Obviously not. Nor does it make sense for each telecom service provider to dig up the streets. Airlines compete on price and customer service while sharing the airport infrastructure.