In this episode, we speak with Roger Timmerman, CEO and Kim McKinley, CMO of Utopia Fiber, an Open Access Network model that promotes competition in all telecommunications services. There are currently 17 retail service providers on the UTOPIA network. UTOPIA’s 15 service areas, represent nearly a third of all communities in the United States that can enjoy 10 gigabit service via a publicly owned network – 100 times faster than the national average.
Brian Snider, CEO of Lit Communities talks about the mission and the origin of Lit Communities on this podcast. He discusses working with municipalities to think differently about network approaches, the value of broadband and funding for broadband initiatives.
This podcast features Kim McKinley, Chief Marketing Officer of Utopia Fiber. Kim provides a background on Utopia, one of the earliest open access networks in North America. We spend some time digging into the impact of the COVID crisis on their network. We spend time also talking about how municipalities and network operators can be thinking about this as an opportunity to build future-ready networks.