Bandwidth: Bill LaPerch, Former CEO of AboveNet

The Bear Roars Special edition series Bandwidth serves as a platform to celebrate the people and stories of Dan’s book, Bandwidth: The Untold Story of Ambition, Deception, and Innovation that Shaped the Internet Age and Dot-Com Boom. The story covers the epic journey of the creation of the Internet Backbones, the building of the early competitive fiber networks in the 1990s, the Bandwidth Boom, Bust, and Resurrection, ending in 2020 when Dan’s company, Zayo, was sold.

Bandwidth: The Untold Story of Ambition, Deception, and Innovation that Shaped the Internet Age and Dot-Com Boom is available now! Reserve your copy now: https://dan-caruso.com/book/

In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan sits down with Bill LaPerch, former CEO of AboveNet and a telecom veteran who played a key role in shaping the industry’s digital infrastructure. Bill’s career spans the rise of competitive fiber networks, the telecom boom, the WorldCom collapse, and the rebirth of the industry post-dot-com bust.

Bill shares how his path started at West Point and led him to the 101st Airborne before jumping into telecom at MCI. He gives an insider’s view of WorldCom’s downfall, the internet bubble’s frenzy, and what it took to navigate AboveNet through bankruptcy and back to success. Dan and Bill discuss the evolution of fiber networks, why dark fiber became essential for major enterprises, and how the lessons from the past still apply in today’s AI-driven digital infrastructure world.

If you’ve been part of the telecom world, are curious about its history, or want to understand the forces shaping digital infrastructure today, this episode is a must-listen.

To nominate a founder or yourself as a future guest speaker, email us at contact@loudbearproductions.com.