Layton OKs site for fiber-optics hub

LAYTON — Though Layton residents won't see any fiber optics coming to town soon, the City Council voted Nov. 9 to approve the future location of a fiber-optics hub.

The hub will make up part of the backbone of the fiber-optics infrastructure and will serve eight to 10 smaller hubs, said Layton City Manager Alex Jensen.

Slated for a location near the intersection of Fort Lane and Gordon Avenue, the 360-square-foot hub will just look like a small building, Jensen said.

The fiber optics network, which will serve homes and businesses in Layton with high-speed Internet access, is part of the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency, known as UTOPIA.

UTOPIA is owned by the 14 cities that created it, but it operates separately from the cities, somewhat like a sewer district, Jensen said.

Layton and Centerville are the only cities in Davis County that belong to UTOPIA.

According to the agency's Web site, www.utopianet.org, construction has begun in West Valley City, Murray, Midvale, Lindon, Orem and Payson with Cedar City, Cedar Hills, Riverton, Centerville, Layton, Perry, Brigham City and Tremonton to follow.