Golden State Connect Authority Taps UTOPIA for Rural Calif. Network

Golden State Connect Authority announced a partnership with Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) Fiber to deploy open-access municipal broadband in rural California, the authority said Wednesday. Under the partnership, UTOPIA will handle network design and engineering, project and construction management, plus ongoing operational support including marketing, billing and customer service, the authority said. The authority is currently identifying project locations to install fiber, it said. The network’s open-access model means that multiple ISPs will use the same network to provide service, it said.