Any high school or college student can relate to the challenge the iProvo network faces from some of its detractors.

How would you like it if the world judged your entire education only on the grades you received during your freshman yearfi Yet that is clearly the position taken by the Reason Foundation in its recent report on the iProvo network.

The Reason Foundation is a libertarian think tank that is critical of municipal airports, golf courses and transit, and has now added municipal broadband projects to its hit list. In a report plagued by insufficient research, the foundation makes unsubstantiated conclusions about iProvo during its freshman year. In fact, the author never contacted the city or anyone directly involved with the project. Rather than accepting the foundation's final grade, I'd like to offer a progress report for iProvo during its freshman year.

More than 8,200 residents and businesses in Provo have subscribed to services from one of the private retail providers on iProvo and that number is growing every week. The network is now fully built out and construction was completed on schedule.

The author looks at iProvo's financial statements only through June 2005, when the network was only half built. The decision to build a fiber-based network was based on a long time horizon, and never expected to bring short-term financial gains. An attempt to judge the results of this pioneering effort at this stage of its life cycle is simply premature.

iProvo is the only network which reaches every corner of Provo, despite the author's claims to the contrary. There are still areas in Provo not served by DSL or cable offerings from the telecommunications firms. Provo's commitment to universal access -- encompassing all residents and businesses -- to high speed broadband has been sure from the beginning; the big telecommunications firms cannot credibly make that claim.

One of the original goals of the iProvo network was to reduce the costs of broadband to all our residents by introducing competition. This has clearly been accomplished even in our freshman year as incumbent providers have cut their charges and offered special deals in Provo that are not universally available.

iProvo's model of providing only the basic network infrastructure, allowing private firms to offer a variety of competitive retail telecommunications services over it, continues to make good sense. With audio, video and other large-file applications proliferating over the Internet, ultra-high speed broadband is becoming necessary for many businesses and individuals.

iProvo positions Provo to attract business and commerce with a network that is ready-made for any demands placed upon it. Video-conferencing, telecommuting, medical imaging, on-line education, video-on-demand and many other applications all become viable for all Provo residents and business thanks to iProvo.

In short, the Reason Foundation report simply misses the mark. The true progress report for our freshman year is that things are on track. When adjustments need to be made, they will be quickly made, as is the case with any successful pioneering venture.

Like the city's roads, water system, electrical system and sidewalks, iProvo is a part of the basic public infrastructure that will stand the test of time for Provo residents and businesses. Superficial analysis and conclusions from groups with a philosophical bias like the Reason Foundation will not change that commitment.

Lewis K. Billings is mayor of Provo.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A4.