Green River and Rock Springs residents show strong support for community-owned fiber optic network build-out phone survey says

Fiber Optics Weekly Update, August 1, 2003

Residents of Rock Springs and Green River strongly support the idea of building a wholesale community-owned fiber optic network in the two cities if the work can be completed without raising local taxes. This is the conclusion drawn from the results of a recent phone survey of a representative sample of local residents conducted for the Joint Powers Telecommunications Board (JPTB). The survey revealed that 73.2 percent of survey respondents would "support (their) city government if it decided to build a wholesale community-owned fiber optic network without raising taxes." The survey was conducted between July 16, 2003 and July 20, 2003 under the direction of Draper, Utah-based Politis Communications, a public relations and marketing communications agency hired by the JPTB to assist it in a public awareness campaign. Politis Communications utilized the services of Salt Lake City-based Discovery Research Group, one of the largest polling organizations in the United States and an organization frequently used on a subcontractor basis by such notable research firms as A.C. Nielsen and Roper, to perform the actual polling.

Five hundred residents participated in the survey, with 200 participating from Green River and 300 participating from Rock Springs. Survey participants were contacted from a list of randomly generated phone numbers designed to correspond with phone number prefixes assigned to the Rock Springs and Green River zip codes of 82901 and 82935, respectively.

The survey also revealed that nearly 80 percent of respondents (79.6 percent) would be interested in a broadband service that combined phone, Internet access and television/cable offerings through a single connection if the cost was the same or lower for all three services. As expected, cost was listed as the primary motivating factor for respondents asked to contemplate switching service providers for Internet, telephone and television services.

The survey also revealed that when participants were asked a series of questions regarding their support for building a community-owned, fiber-optic network based upon a number of differing criteria, "Very Likely" support was highest in all categories, including 67.2 percent Very Likely support if the proposed network "supported itself;" 66.4 percent Very Likely support if the proposed network "helped the community grow and prosper;" 64.4 percent Very Likely support if the proposed network "attracted new businesses to your city;" and 63.4 percent Very Likely support if the proposed network "provided, fair open competition among service providers therefore reducing prices and increasing choices," among others. An electronic copy of the report highlighting the survey results is available online at http://www.sweetnet.us. Copies can also be obtained by contacting the JPTB at 212 D Street, Rock Springs, WY 82901.

The Southwestern Wyoming Enhanced and Expanded Telecommunications Network or SweetNet would be a wholesale community-owned, fiber optic infrastructure managed and operated by the JPTB. The network will provide open access to retail service providers who will lease capacity on the network to offer services to residents and businesses of Green River and Rocks Springs. If approved, SweetNet will deliver fiber to the doorstep of every home and business in Rock Springs and Green River. SweetNet will then lease access to the network to private service providers who will make broadband Internet connections, and enhanced telecommunication and television services available to every residence, business, school and government facility in the cities of Rock Springs and Green River, Wyoming. For more information on SweetNet, please visit the SweetNet web site at http://www.sweetnet.us.