Enabling Main Street's Digital Transformation: The Growing Role of Local Broadband Providers — Calix - July 7, 2025
By Staff Reports - July 7th, 2025
As digital expectations rise and economic pressures mount, small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are reevaluating their technology strategies. Increasingly, these organizations are turning to local broadband service providers (BSPs) not just for internet access, but for integrated digital experiences that rival those offered by enterprise providers. Behind this shift is a fundamental change in how infrastructure, service models, and community relationships intersect—and at the center of this transformation is Calix, a platform, cloud, and managed services company that enables BSPs to evolve into trusted broadband experience providers.
In this BizTechReports Executive Q&A, Shane Eleniak, Chief Product Officer at Calix, shares strategic, operational, financial, and technological insights into how BSPs are unlocking new value for SMBs across the country—and how the market is poised to grow. NOTE: The feature below has been organized into the strategic, operational, financial contexts that emerged in the interview.
Here is what he had to say:
The Strategic Shift from Utility to Broadband Experience Provider
BTR: The term “experience provider” is a notable departure from how most people view broadband service. Why is this shift important?
Eleniak: It’s foundational. Connectivity and security are no longer just IT functions—they’re enablers of everything a business wants to accomplish. We used to describe broadband as “plumbing.” Necessary, but not strategic. Today, it’s the foundation of every digital experience—whether for customers, employees, or business owners. If your network fails, your experience fails. And in many cases, your revenue suffers.
The local broadband provider—particularly those rooted in their communities—are uniquely positioned to step into the role of “broadband experience provider.” They already have the trust. They understand local needs. Now, with the right platform, they can deliver secure, managed services that directly support SMB growth. That’s a game changer.
BTR: So SMBs don’t have to choose between local trust and big-brand capabilities?
Eleniak: Exactly. We’ve seen in industries like banking how community institutions—credit unions, regional banks—now offer services that rival the big national players. The same thing is happening in broadband. Calix provides the technology backbone to enable that. Our view is that BSPs can not only match the sophistication of national providers—they can exceed it, especially when it comes to personalized service and community relevance.
Eliminating Operational Complexity and Delivering Resilience
BTR: Many SMBs operate without formal IT staff. How does Calix help BSPs simplify technology delivery for these businesses?
Eleniak: The small business owner—whether running a bakery, legal firm, or clinic—wants to focus on their core service. Technology shouldn’t get in the way. What we do at Calix is build platforms that allow BSPs to deliver end-to-end managed services out of the box: back-office connectivity, secure employee networks, guest Wi-Fi, splash portals, analytics, and more.
Even better, these solutions are wrapped in automation. The network dynamically optimizes itself for usage patterns. It detects anomalies in real-time. So if something goes wrong—an outage, a misconfigured device, a fiber cut—the system can trigger a workflow to resolve it before the customer even notices.
BTR: What about disaster resilience—fiber cuts, weather events, or outages?
Eleniak: That’s a critical part of the experience. We’ve built into our SMB offering the ability to dynamically shift traffic to backup networks. If the primary connection goes down, we can fail over to fixed wireless or a 5G hotspot—even a business owner’s iPhone—to keep mission-critical operations like point-of-sale online.
This resiliency used to be enterprise-grade functionality. We’ve made it accessible and manageable for local BSPs, who in turn can make it affordable for SMBs. And it’s not just about the tech—it’s about giving local businesses peace of mind that their operations are protected.
A Scalable, Local Financial Alternative to Enterprise-Centric Solutions
BTR: There’s a perception that big providers can offer services at a lower cost due to scale. Can local BSPs compete on price?
Eleniak: That’s a misconception. The assumption has always been that scale equals cost advantage, but it often comes with overhead. Our platform was built to invert that logic. With the right infrastructure and automation, a local BSP can deliver sophisticated, secure, and customizable services without bloated operations.
So yes, local BSPs can absolutely compete on cost—especially when you factor in the total cost of ownership for the SMB. Think about the savings when you eliminate the need to hire an MSP, deploy third-party Wi-Fi, or maintain a patchwork of vendors. One provider, one bill, one point of support.
BTR: What about the business case for the BSPs themselves?
Eleniak: For BSPs, managed services open up entirely new revenue streams. Rather than just charging for bandwidth, they can deliver tiered offerings for security, analytics, managed Wi-Fi, smart office tools, and more. And since many of these services are cloud-delivered, they’re highly scalable and margin-positive.
Moreover, by becoming more embedded in the daily operations of local businesses, BSPs increase retention and build deeper customer relationships. It’s not just selling broadband anymore—it’s becoming a partner in business continuity and growth.
A Technological Platform Built for Modern SMB Needs
BTR: What specific technology underpins the Calix approach to enabling BSPs?
Eleniak: It starts with a fully integrated platform that includes access systems, premises systems, orchestration software, and cloud-based analytics. We call it “intelligent network infrastructure.” But more important than the technology itself is how it’s packaged and delivered.
For example, our platform enables dynamic network optimization, real-time anomaly detection, and automated service provisioning. It allows the BSP to create distinct zones—employee, guest, back office—with different rights, privileges, and data policies. And the analytics layer provides insights into usage patterns, device performance, and service quality, which supports continuous improvement.
BTR: Are emerging technologies like AI being incorporated into this platform?
Eleniak: Absolutely. AI and machine learning are foundational. But we’re most excited about what we call “agentic AI”—tools that don’t just assist, but take action. For small businesses, this means problems get solved without a ticket being opened. For BSPs, it means more uptime, lower support costs, and more focus on strategic services.
And looking ahead, we see AI playing a growing role in helping SMBs leverage their data—whether to improve customer experience, optimize staffing, or explore new business models. The key is democratizing that access. Local BSPs, with the right tools, can bring enterprise-grade innovation to Main Street businesses.
A Vision for Community-Driven Digital Transformation
BTR: Final thoughts—what should SMBs be looking for in a broadband partner?
Eleniak: SMBs should expect more. They should ask how a provider will support their back office, their employees, and their patrons. They should ask about security, service levels, insights, and support. Most importantly, they should expect simplicity. All of this should just work—without complexity, without stitching things together.
And if they look to their local BSPs, they may be surprised to find that the best answers are right there in their community.
BTR: And the opportunity for BSPs?
Eleniak: The opportunity is enormous. We’ve seen this in places like Bend, Oregon and Lincoln, Nebraska—where local BSPs are leading the market in service quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. With the right platform, BSPs don’t just compete with national providers—they win. And in doing so, they strengthen the businesses, institutions, and communities they serve.
Conclusion: Main Street’s Tech Allies
The digital transformation of small and mid-sized businesses is no longer a distant goal—it’s happening now. And as Calix and its community of local broadband providers demonstrate, the most trusted partners in that journey may not be the largest or loudest players. They may be the ones who understand the neighborhood, speak the local language, and show up when it matters most.
As digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and customer experience become interwoven priorities, SMBs have a critical decision to make: who will they trust to build the foundation of their digital future?