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PLEASANT GROVE — Pleasant Grove will soon have access to fiber internet thanks to a new $18 million deal with UTOPIA Fiber that was recently approved.
UTOPIA will equip the city with fiber cables that can later be used by internet service providers to offer the higher speed internet. Within two years, residents and businesses will have access to fiber internet. Construction is slated to begin in May.
The Pleasant Grove City Council voted on the deal earlier this month to approve the contract between the city and Utah Infrastructure Agency, which is a sister agency of UTOPIA.
"UTOPIA Fiber's turnkey approach and remarkable reputation made them the clear choice," Pleasant Grove Mayor Guy Fugal said in a statement. "UTOPIA Fiber is both shovel and operationally ready at a time when others are navigating logistical hurdles and crew shortages. … We're very excited to be moving forward with them."
With the approved deal, Pleasant Grove becomes the 16th city to contract with UTOPIA for the Open Access network.
The company has also partnered with Brigham City, Centerville, Clearfield, Layton, Lindon, Midvale, Morgan City, Murray, Orem, Payson, Perry, Tremonton, West Point, West Valley City and Woodland Hills.
Like several other UTOPIA cities, the Pleasant Grove project will be funded through subscriber revenue, meaning it will be paid for by the number of residents who sign up for the service. UTOPIA doesn't offer the internet directly, they just provide the infrastructure; instead, private internet service providers can use the cables to offer fiber internet.
"Like many communities along the Wasatch Front, Pleasant Grove City is growing quickly and many of its 38,000 residents are demanding better internet access," explained Roger Timmerman, executive director of UTOPIA Fiber in a news release. "While we've been delivering services to schools and businesses in the city for years, we're really excited to now connect all of Pleasant Grove's neighborhoods to the fastest internet speeds in the country."
