Macquarie Poised to Take over UTOPIA Operations

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Macquarie Capital, which invests in and manages infrastructure assets in public private partnerships, has submitted a proposal to take over the UTOPIA network in Utah. Pending approval of the member cities in the network, the deal will be structured as a 30-year, public-private partnership (PPP) to operate and maintain the network. ISPs operating on the network will be required to offer free symetrical Internet service to all addresses of up to 3 Mbps with a 20 GB cap with the ability to market premium services. Subscribers will be assessed a utility fee estimated at $18 to $20 a month, lower in most cases than what they currently pay for service.

Macquarie will assume UTOPIA's debt while cities in the network will retain ownership of the network's assets.