Tarana CEO still sees more BEAD opportunities

Speaking at a Senate hearing about the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick indicated states may have a chance to replace providers that won't adhere to BEAD rules. The confirmation came in response to senators' questions about an effort from SpaceX to relieve its low-Earth orbit Starlink service from meeting certain BEAD requirements. "If a provider cannot live up to their promise to you, we will work together, you will replace that provider, and we will make sure you can do that," said Secretary Lutnick. At least one broadband industry CEO is already thinking along those lines and anticipating opportunities to expand his company's BEAD business. "BEAD isn't in any way over," said Tarana CEO Basil Alwan. The CEO's comments followed Tarana's Connecting Communities Summit, held in late January, where the company discussed progress with its next-generation fixed wireless access tech, G2, as well as the latest with the BEAD program and the US digital divide. Tarana is a supplier of ngFWA technology to fixed wireless providers and counts over 300 service provider customers in 24 countries.