dential and business customer an initial fee of less than $3,000 that the customer can pay off either over time or as a lump sum up front. For those customers who wish to pay off the fee in install- ments, towns are able to add a small monthly assessment to their tax bills. The typical installment payment period is 20 years, but like a loan, customers are able to pay the sum down more quickly, if they prefer to. UTOPIA's redundant fiber backbone network runs from north to south and sup- plies fiber to each customer's location. When it started, the network was capable of dedicated 100Mbps fiber to each customer, but it now offers 1 Gbps speeds in new areas. It was able to increase speeds because new Gigabit Ethernet switches are less costly than those purchased initially. UTOPIA also built a video headend where satellite dishes receive feeds from national content sources such as Turner Broadcasting System and CBS affiliates SO that providers can offer cable televi- sion and entertainment without building infrastructure. UTOPIA is a wholesale provider that does not sell service directly to end users. UTOPIA partners with service providers who offer retail services such as TV, hosted PBX service, Internet access, and voice telephony, as well as cloud computing directly to residential and business customers. This multiple-provider, open-access network operated by UTOPIA creates an environment in which providers offer services on a competitive basis. Thus, everyone in the UTOPIA coverage area has a choice of a pool of providers. They are not limited to a few-sometimes only one or two-carriers. In its newest area, nearly 35 percent of residents purchased access to UTOPIA's network. They are receiving services such as HDTV, high-speed Internet access, and voice telephony. Continued Last-Mile Access Networks UTOPIA's executive director, Todd Marriott, stated the following in a telephone interview: We now have more than a dozen service providers and are adding more. Our network is open to any interested service provider i