Were you there? We want to hear your story.

The IP Podcast — short for The Internet Pioneers Podcast — records the oral history of the people who actually built the Internet in the 1990s — the unsung engineers, sysadmins, product managers, and operators who leased the lines, installed the modem banks, lit up the POPs, and kept the NOCs running. We interview the people who did the hands-on work, in their words. Most of them are people you have never heard of. That is the point.

If you built or operated an Internet service in the 1990s, or if you know someone who did, this page is where you start. You do not need to be famous. You do not need to have worked at a company that survived. The regional ISP that folded in 1998 has the same claim to a story as the one that went public. The sysadmin who kept the NOC running at 3 a.m. has the same claim as the founder who raised the VC round. If you were there doing the work, your story matters.

Who we are looking for

• Founders or owners of ISPs, CLECs, or Internet access providers — regional and independent operations included.
• Engineers and operators who built or ran the infrastructure — NOC, RAS, peering, modem banks, DSU/CSU, T1/T3, dial-up concentrators.
• People who worked at telcos, IXCs, or LECs on Internet access products in the era.
• Anyone with a first-person story about connecting people to the Internet in the 1990s — including the people whose companies did not survive.

What being a guest involves

• A 60–90 minute recorded conversation, remote, audio or video. You choose which.
• We research you and your company beforehand. You do not need to prepare.
• You review and approve the final edit before publication.
• You can flag factual corrections at any time, and we will make them publicly.

Privacy and trust

Submissions are reviewed by the show's producers and are not shared with third parties. There is no obligation to participate — filling out the form is an expression of interest, not a commitment. If we think you or your suggestion is a fit, we will reach out. If not, we will not.