Kaysville fiber is a boondoggle.
Kaysville fiber will require a 30-year bond, at the expense of its taxpayers. Thirty years ago, Netflix wasn’t a DVD business and Amazon was just a jungle. None of us could have predicted the technological advances we enjoy today. We take for granted smartphones, Zoom meetings, streamed movies and music, telehealth, cloud computing, etc. If there was no way to predict where we are today, how can we predict what our needs will be in 10 or 30 years? The iPhone is 13 years old, and look how fast changes have come.
Somehow Kaysville thinks fiber will still be relevant in 30 years while technology becomes more mobile and less about hardwired solutions. The recent past seems to be a good indicator of what is to come. The 30-year bond is too long to keep up with technology.
I agree with Kaysville City Attorney Nic Mills, who stated in an email to the city manager: “With the uncertainty of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems like the project may be untimely.” He goes on to express serious concern about the bond being “backstopped by tax dollars.” He also states that the “venture seems unreasonably high-risk in the current atmosphere.” He warns that “many municipalities have unsuccessfully attempted similar fiber projects. Given the incredible economic uncertainties that the City is facing, it seems like an unnecessarily risky endeavor right now.” Mr. Mills should be listened to. He has a fiduciary duty toward the city; he understands the city’s risks, needs and concerns; and he is disinterested. His words should carry significant weight.
Let’s be wise and let the market provide technology solutions without 30 years of big government bondage because some people want faster Internet.
Jason Sanders, Kaysville