City officials fear that if they don’t join the Utah Infrastructure Agency, services Payson now receives would not be expanded. Only 30 percent of the city is served by UTOPIA.

Last week the Utah Taxpayers Association held a rally in Orem to focus on problems it sees in the UTOPIA system and its funding.

Operators of the system want Utopia’s 11 member cities to coalesce and launch an entity known as the Utah Infrastructure Agency, which would raise up to $60 million to complete the development of its network.

The fiber-optic network UTOPIA is very good at delivering information at the speed of light. But opponents contend that it’s also good at losing money just as fast.

About 250 people attended a rally Tuesday evening organized to protest the municipal fiber-optic network UTOPIA.

The Utah Taxpayers Association continues to take aim at the pile of tax dollars being pledged to UTOPIA, a fiber optic network the association views as being in direct competition with private Internet service providers.

A straw poll of employees and found none of them in favor of UTOPIA. However, the city is committed to the project for the next 18 years.

Even though concerns were expressed during a workshop meeting, the Layton City Council unanimously voted to approve a resolution authorizing the city to enter into an interlocal agreement to form the Utah Infrastructure Agency.

At what point is it smartest just to accept your losses and walk away? That’s the question UTOPIA’s member cities will find themselves facing once again in the coming months.

Just weeks after asking taxpayers for $60 million more in financing, UTOPIA officials were harshly criticized by key state lawmakers Wednesday morning.