Comcast: The new cable may boost efforts to lure high-tech operations to the Utah economy

Mayor Doug Thompson remembers well the first time he fully understood that Logan’s economic future rode on an innocuous-looking cable not much thicker than his pinky finger.

A few years ago, Thompson accompanied then-Gov. Mike Leavitt on a trade mission to California’s technology-rich Silicon Valley, hoping to lure high-paying jobs to Utah. Thompson says several company representatives approached him, only to quickly walk away.

"As soon as they heard we had only one fiber-optic line, discussion quickly ended," he sighed.

Today, Comcast marks completion of a $1.5 million fiber-optic project, finally giving Logan two of the high-capacity lines so critical to telecommunications services ranging from digital television and telephones to broadband Internet and highspeed business data transfers.

By Bob Mims
The Salt Lake Tribune

Full Story: http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_2909161