This week: Michael Weening, CEO of Calix, joins the podcast to discuss the disruptive state of the broadband market, the role of federal funding in closing the digital divide, why 'speed is death' and more.

Nicole Ferraro, Editor, host of 'The Divide' podcast

February 14, 2023

At a Glance

  • Why capital is shifting toward smaller broadband players (2:30)
  • How closing the digital divide is changing where we work, and Calix's pitch to potential employees (10:34)
  • Why speed alone is a 'bad long-term strategy' for broadband providers (19:50)

This episode features Michael Weening, CEO of Calix. We discuss the company's perspective on the digital divide and Calix's role as "enablers of the disruptors" in the broadband market.

For Calix, that means the Tier 2 and Tier 3 companies – including electric cooperatives, municipalities and other community broadband providers, flush with private equity and other sources of cash – that are helping close the digital divide in communities across the US.

We talk about the shift in capital toward smaller providers and what that means for legacy providers and the state of the digital divide overall. We also get into the various sources of funding fueling broadband buildouts, his views on fiber versus other broadband technologies ("satellite is all bull," said Weening), why "speed is death" as a selling point for broadband providers – and much more.

Read more about:

The Divide

About the Author(s)

Nicole Ferraro

Editor, host of 'The Divide' podcast, Light Reading

Nicole covers broadband, policy and the digital divide. She hosts The Divide on the Light Reading Podcast and tracks broadband builds in The Buildout column. Some* call her the Broadband Broad (*nobody).

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