When you think of broadband hotspots, Utah might not come to mind: but it should. Utopia is the nation's largest wholesale municipal broadband deployment, eventually connecting 14 cities with fiber triple play service. In one area, users can receive 15Mbps symmetrical fiber connections for $40. That's caused local incumbents to sweat; Qwest has been filing lawsuits, and Comcast has done something we rarely see: lowered prices.

Light Reading reports that traditionally sluggish telco Qwest has sped up fiber deployment, running fiber to 13,500 new homes in the Salt Lake City suburb of South Jordan, offering 5Mbps broadband and IPTV services to some customers. The folks from Utopia actually offered Qwest to share their network, but say they never heard back from the telco. "The invitation is still open," says a Utopia rep.