Amazon's BEAD strategy shows it's 'the enemy,' says Calix CEO

Amazon is applying for federal funding for broadband Internet providers. And that, according to the CEO of equipment supplier Calix, shows that Amazon is "the wolf in sheep's clothing." "They are applying for BEAD to compete with all of our customers," said Calix CEO Michael Weening. Amazon, Weening said, is "the enemy of every broadband provider out there." BEAD is the Biden administration's Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, and it's designed to funnel $42.45 billion through US states for broadband networks in rural areas. Amazon was recently listed among the 35 companies approved by the state of Louisiana to compete for BEAD dollars. Weening, Calix's CEO, pointed to Amazon's ongoing encroachment into the broadband industry as a threat to legacy Internet providers that compete on connection speeds alone.