The Divide: How Yellowstone Fiber plans to boost broadband choice in Bozeman

Greg Metzger, CEO of Yellowstone Fiber, and Kim McKinley, CMO and deputy director of Utopia Fiber, join the podcast to discuss their partnership to bring an open access fiber network to Bozeman, Montana.

Yellowstone Fiber, a nonprofit open access fiber network, broke ground in March to deliver fiber throughout the city of Bozeman. Formerly known as Bozeman Fiber, Yellowstone Fiber is now operating in partnership with Utopia Fiber, an open access network based in Utah.

As Metzger explains, Yellowstone Fiber will bring competition to a city that's not getting adequate speeds. While some providers in Bozeman advertise speeds of 100/50 Mbit/s, "the folks that get that usually end up with about 20 by 10," he said. "So we're a 'served' area, but the actual performance of that service doesn't come through."

Here are a few topics discussed in this episode:

• Background on Yellowstone Fiber (01:15)
• How and why Yellowstone and Utopia chose to collaborate (03:50)
• Yellowstone's current build and how it will change service delivery in the area (06:54)
• Why and where open access networks work – and where they don't (09:05)
• Advice for other nonprofits and municipalities looking to form open access networks or similar partnerships (13:15)

Related stories and links:

• Construction starts on open access fiber network in Montana
• 'Harder than it looks.' Utopia Fiber model grows beyond Utah
• UTOPIA Fiber adds two more cities to its open access network
• Montana delegate makes rural broadband appeal at DNC
• The Divide: UTOPIA Fiber's Roger Timmerman on serving Utah with open access muni broadband
• Yellowstone Fiber launches $65 million fiber network in Bozeman City and Gallatin County (press release)

— Nicole Ferraro, site editor, Broadband World News; senior editor, global broadband coverage, Light Reading. Host of "The Divide" on the Light Reading Podcast.