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Epoch Networks (www.epochnetworks.com) was at one time the largest privately owned commercial first tier internet service provider (ISP). [1] It was founded by Scott Purcell in 1994, [2] [3] [4] and was the fourth commercial internet backbone to be introduced in the United States. Epoch was also one of the first members of the Commercial Internet eXchange - for which Scott Purcell served as a board member.
An article from ISP Planet states:
The company got its start in Costa Mesa, California around 1994 when its entire staff consisted of four people with access to a local backbone. By the end of the year, the company was one of the first ISPs connected to the Commercial Internet eXchange, a predecessor of today's Network Access Points. [1]
Epoch began providing dial-up access to the Internet, and by 1996, it had 15 branch offices across the US, with more than 100 employees. [5] In 1997, it was rated by CNET in the top 10 of ISPs for customer satisfaction, ranking at number 7. [6] At the beginning of that year, it had 1,100 companies as clients, and 40,000 individual clients. [7] [8] Epoch Networks established a new internet exchange in Atlanta in 1997, reducing time and costs of internet traffic in the south-eastern US. [9] It was one of the first companies to offer 56K Internet access. [1] [10]
The company bought out a number of other providers, including Planetcom in 1995 [1] and Internet Atlanta in 1996. [2] [11] In 1998, Epoch settled with comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who had sued the company claiming that it had used his likeness without permission. [12]
Epoch raised $45 million of venture capital funding over several years to 1999, from companies including CIBC Wood Gundy Capital, Providence Equity Partners and HarbourVest Partners. [3] [13] Among Internet and network providers, it raised the fourth largest amount of venture capital in the second quarter of 1998. [14] Epoch's revenue in the 1997-98 financial year was $24 million. [4]
In 1999, Jeff Stone replaced Scott Purcell as president and chief executive of Epoch Networks. [3] At that time, Epoch had more than 200 employees and offices in San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Tampa, Florida and Vienna, Virginia, as well as the base in Irvine, California. [4] [3] In 2002, Epoch Networks was bought by Netifice Communications Inc. of Atlanta, Georgia. [15]