Orem to support UTOPIA, despite risks

OREM — Any way you look at it, there are risks.

That was the message expressed Wednesday night by Orem residents both for and against the unanimous vote by city leaders to join the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency.

"I'm not saying that the network wouldn't be great, but the costs are too high," said Lane Livingston, who works for a local Internet service provider.

On the other hand, Utah Valley State College student Happiness Peterson said that, considering the educational opportunities the network may be able to provide, it was "too much of a risk not" to support UTOPIA.

"Our founding fathers — they took risks," Peterson said. "I think the role of government is progress."

In a late-night decision, Orem's City Council members decided the risk of saying no to enhanced telecommunications services far outweighed the possible financial losses the project might incur.

"We may lose money. We don't know where this is going," Councilman Les Campbell said. "But at least two other risks are more important to me than money: what we're providing or not providing for businesses or the risk of losing business to cities that do have fiber-optics networks, and the risk of not providing our young people with the tools they need in the age of information technology."

Following hours of public input, the council voted unanimously to pledge more than $2 million in sales tax revenue annually for the next 17 years to pay for the system.

While Orem had already joined forces with 17 other cities to participate in UTOPIA, Wednesday's vote confirmed that the city stood behind the fiber-optic network and a recent decision by UTOPIA officials that requires all member cities to pledge financial support.

Dozens of Orem residents stayed until midnight to hear the council's decision, which echoed the sentiments of a majority of the residents who spoke during the public hearing held before the final vote.

Those who spoke out against the project expressed concern about using taxpayer money to fund the fiber-optic system, a technology that many worried could become obsolete before the project pays for itself.

According to UTOPIA Executive Director Paul Morris, however, fiber optics will remain the leading technology for at least another 20 years — long after any debt incurred by member cities will be paid off.