Podcasts
Emerging tech and private equity will help drive the future of broadband, along with demand for AI, says BB1 CEO Eric Watko.
June 2, 2026 — In our latest episode of the Beyond the Cable podcast, BroadbandOne (BB1) CEO Eric Watko joined host Brad Randall to discuss the rapidly evolving telecommunications landscape. With over 25 years of industry experience dating back to the Nortel days, Watko focused heavily on how capital, community needs, and next-generation technologies are reshaping modern connectivity.
Watko also discussed the shifting dynamic in private equity and how it intersects with federal initiatives like the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. He noted that investors are increasingly looking to consolidate regional internet service providers to maximize their footprint.
“If you’re a private equity and you start to see like, ‘Hey, can I roll up these ISPs and increase my investment across this geographical area?’… I think that’s part of the strategy people are starting to look at,” Watko explained.
According to Watko, regional providers hold immense value because they understand local market dynamics and are “backstopped by BEAD to help them grow and be really long-term value to that community.”
“You have to serve them”
Despite broader macroeconomic uncertainties, Watko also remains highly optimistic about the telecom sector’s resilience. While he noted that the latent effects of economic shifts might take “nine months to a year” to fully materialize, he emphasized that development projects simply cannot move forward without high-speed internet.
“You have to serve them. You can’t just build them without connectivity,” Watko stated.
Another point Watko raised is the unstoppable momentum of artificial intelligence, which he says will keep demand at an all-time high.
“AI is going to drive it. People are going to want to say, ‘How do I stay connected?'” Watko concluded.
The full episode of Beyond the Cable featuring Eric Watko is available now on Spotify and also Apple Podcasts.
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