JULY 12, 2010 By Stephen Hardy -- The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Google has met with executives from UTOPIA, the open access fiber to the home (FTTH) network that links 11 communities in Utah.
Google announced this past February that it intends to create an open-access FTTH testbed (see “Google announces experimental FTTH network plans”). It issued an RFP in search of communities and organizations willing to participate in the FTTH experiment; UTOPIA was one of the many respondents (see "UTOPIA cities volunteer for Google FTTH test bed").
Whether Google is negotiating a partnership with UTOPIA or just looking to compare notes (UTOPIA’s operations appear to be very similar to what Google says it envisions) is unclear. However, Steven Oberbeck, author of the article in the Tribune, quotes Mayor Dan Snarr of UTOPIA participant Murray, UT, as saying, “It looks like we might be one of the final contestants.” Mayor Snarr did not attend the June 22 meeting with UTOPIA, Overbeck reported.