UTOPIA forms advisory committee to provied feedback

The struggling fiber-optic utility UTOPIA has announced the formation of a citizens' advisory committee to provide ongoing public feedback.

The Utopia Citizens' Advisory Network — U-CAN — will meet monthly in locations around the Salt Lake Valley, starting June 28 in Midvale at the Ruth Vine Tyler Library, 8041 S. Wood St. (55 West).

UTOPIA is an acronym for the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency. The organization hopes to install fiber-optic cable in 16 Utah cities to replace the copper wire being used for Internet, telephone and cable services.

The citizens group will be led by activist blogger Jesse Harris of freeutopia.org. A White City resident, Harris has been following UTOPIA news since 2006 and is recognized as an authority on municipal telecommunications projects in Utah, according to a UTOPIA statement.

Neither White City, an unincorporated part of Salt Lake County, nor Sandy, which surrounds White City, is among the municipalities served by UTOPIA.