In the coming weeks, the Federal Communications Commission will unveil a $25 million price tag for the next generation of the state’s network.
As a result, Utah is taking on the next big challenge for the state to connect its entire population to the Internet, which is already widely available in the Salt Lake Valley.
The Utah Public Utility Commission is the state government body that regulates the utility industry, but it also regulates broadband access for businesses and for consumers.
In December, the agency announced a price cap for broadband in Utah.
In November, the Utah Utilities and Communications Commission announced a $50 million price cap.
The price caps are meant to keep the cost of building the network down.
It is not yet clear what the final price tag will be, but Utah’s state government is already looking at ways to meet the cap.
To help pay for the infrastructure, the state is taking the money from the federal government and handing it over to the utility companies.
The state’s utility commission is expected to announce the price tag next week.
As part of its rollout, the utility will be working with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to make sure the network is up and running and to ensure the cost is paid.
“We’re taking money from our government, and we’re going to use it to help fund the infrastructure that we need,” Utah Utilities Commissioner Robert P. Bales told The Salt Lake Tribune.
“And we’ll work with the FCC to ensure that this money is paid.”
It’s a new way to help pay the bills that the state needs to keep up with the cost.
“If you’re in a rural area, you’re a small business that relies on a small amount of broadband, you need to be able to access that in a way that’s affordable to your customers,” Utah Public Utilities Commissioner Bales said.
“So I think we’re taking that revenue and making sure that we’re using it wisely.”
As part, Utah will pay the entire cost of the network out of a $1 billion pot of funds the state has set aside for the project.
“The price is based on a reasonable, cost-effective and secure basis that reflects the cost and the risks of doing this project in Utah,” Bales added.
Utah’s cost estimates range from $25 to $50 billion, with $20 billion coming from federal funds and $1.5 billion coming directly from the utility commission.
Utah is the third state to announce a price tag on its broadband rollout.
Utah has a long history of building its own network, but the state had never done so in such a massive way.
In 2012, Utah passed a law that gave the utility a 20 percent share of the construction costs of its network.
Utah currently has a network of 2.5 million broadband connections in homes, businesses and government offices.
Utah was one of the first states to build its own fiber optic cable network, and in 2013, the entire state network was upgraded to high speed fiber.
Utah also has a statewide fiber optic network that provides fiber to the home.
The Federal Communications Commissions mandate to make broadband available in Utah is a federal program that was created after the 2010 passage of the Telecommunications Act.
The federal government has been helping to fund the network, which will be the first of its kind in the country.
“What we’re seeing in Utah and other states across the country is that we’ve been able to expand our broadband networks by building our own fiber,” Utah Department of Public Utility Commissioner Jim Folsom said.
The new network will allow the state of Utah to expand access to its residents, and it will also be used by businesses to build new broadband connections.
“It’s not just about getting people online, it’s about getting businesses online,” Folsman said.
Utah will be using a combination of a mix of fiber optic lines and copper lines that are already installed in the state.
“When you build this new network, you’ll be able, in the most simple terms, to connect people to the internet,” Bilsons said.