When Subscribers Own the Fiber, Good Things Happen

Published: Aug. 14, 2013, 6 p.m.

b"You know you have a winner when big telcos give your community network grief. UTOPIA, the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency, is a 11-city fiber network that has become a clear winner despite incumbents' worst efforts to stop them.\\n\\nUTOPIA rolled out a user-financing business model in which residents and businesses pay $2,750 to get fiber infrastructure built to their doorstep, either in one up-front payment or through monthly installment. UTOPIA experiences an initial take rate of over 20% with this approach, and some areas exceed over 50% over time.\\n\\nLearn how your community can effectively use this model to share the buildout cost of your infrastructure. How do you structure fees? How do you promote the model? Get valuable tips for how to leverage early commitments to get future subscribers."