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4 cities OK UTOPIA refinance; Payson shoots it down
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Yes, it costs money. Yes, it is tough being a pioneer. Yes, it can and will definitely be of great benefit as it expands and is more fully developed.
It can't be just marketing or the providers. That is a very bad sign that Utopia is doomed no matter what they do.
It may well be that the result will be a government overseen utility similar to electricity, natural gas, and telephone service. Somehow I don't know that is the best plan. Maybe private providers need to become more competitive to keep that from happening. Another option maybe a basic access, free or low-cost product, like non-cable, antenna-based TV for everyone (still faster than modem), and a faster, less restricted product for those who pay for it. Possible? I have no idea. Just a thought.
UTOPIA is the answer, an open network that encourages healthy competition and enables consumer choice built on a strong network (ie: MPLS fiber to the home) IS the right thing to do.
But the truth is, no private business would ever have undertaken this project, because based on the projected cash flows alone it is so risky they wouldn't be able to finance it over more than 5-10 years at most. UTOPIA is taking the sales tax dollars that our cities use to pay the bills everyday and encumbering those funds in order to let them finance the project over first 20 and now 32 years.
So "any good business board" would've realized upfront that the costs versus the projected reveunes constituted excessive risk. But you know what? If they had cities willing to throw an unconditional backing behind their project, I bet you would be right- "any good business board" would make the same decision, because they have the potential for upside without the risks. The cities now hold the risk.
Even as a supporter, I was a bit concerned with the refinancing efforts. After last night's presentation, I feel confident that the refinancing will bring the network back on track in the long-term.
FTTP will enable both businesses and residents to realize the future of telecommuting, real-time video conferencing, education resources, as well the plethora of other techologies that will be realized as bandwidth, network latency, and access becomes available.
As far as Payson City goes, I would encourage the Deseret News to get their facts straight before printing inaccurate data. What ever happened to accurate and objective press?
I urge people to do their own research into the issue rather than blindly listening to propaganda spread by big telecom and the associations they fund.
We fall for it every time.
We will still be paying the debt and maintenance of this hard wired network that will obviously go out of business if the government provides "Free" wireless everywhere.
Murray gave Utopia a Chance and we have the best internet availible. I would NEVER go back to my old Quest DSL Line, or My Comcast Cable Nor would I go back to Direct TV. I am Hooked on Utopia and Very happy with my service and product! Again that is why I bought my house wired with the Utopia Lines!
Next up will be these member cities requiring residents to subscribe to UTOPIA by adding a new tax to property taxes...like garbage collections. I'm down with the government backing/funding of UTOPIA. (Notice I'm not against Utopia. Last I checked gambling is illegal in Utah. I guess it is ok when tax dollars are used.)
Note: I do not work for Qwest, Comcast, DishNetwork or Utopia. I like Utopia but I don't think the Gov't should be involved in it.
My internet is incredibly fast. Phone service is better than I had with Qwest. TV was better with Dish but dish costs a lot more than I am paying now. I expect MSTAR to continue to improve the TV hardware and it will be comparable in the near future.
UTOPIA is the future. If you get a chance to hop on board, I highly recommend it.
With all this being said I find it interesting that Qwest and Commcast are attending all the city council meetings. If the cities did not drive Utopia and it technology we would all still be using dial up with Qwest. Utopia has forced Qwest and Commcast to step up to the plate and delivery services to compete in this market. Qwest and Commcast are scrambling to try to delivery similar internet speeds as Utopa at a competitive rate. Their best strategy at this point is to help make Utopa fail so they can catch up.
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