Bandwidth
The Untold Story of Ambition, Deception, and Innovation That Shaped the Internet Age and Dot-Com Boom
Though it seemed to occur in a split second, the Bandwidth story was an up-and-down ride over decades with massive successes and devastating failures. The unquenchable ambition of a new class of billionaires and tycoons led to incredible value, unprecedented value destruction, and limitless opportunities for a courageous few.
This reflects tech’s past, present, and future—and is a tale you won’t want to let go. Amid the cataclysmic breakup of AT&T, the mostly unnoticed birth of the Internet, and the creation of mobile communications and fiber optic networks, the early eighties were full of disruption. The collision of these four events sparked a revolution that would forever transform how humankind worked, played, educated, and entertained. This boom was a time of insight, creativity, and courage alongside deception, fraud, and prison terms. The pace of consolidation was intense —but soon, the bubble burst, and the industry was in ruins. Few could recognize that the stage was set for a glorious rebirth.
No one knows this boom-bust-rebirth cycle with better clarity than Dan Caruso, one of the changemakers who was a key figure in shaping the modern communications age. At the outset of the digital revolution, he was about to begin a journey that would not just impact his life for many years to come, but forever change the basis of how we relate to each other on a regular basis.
For the first time, Caruso opens the curtain in Bandwidth, a no-holds-barred memoir that recognizes the pioneers who invented the Internet’s early backbones, the renegades who lit the fiber revolution, the choices that caused it to all come crumbling down, and the new wave of entrepreneurs who rose the industry back from the ashes.
With insider views into the cyclical nature of innovation and the intrepid spirit of human ingenuity, Bandwidth is a powerful saga that reveals how history may be repeating itself as the AI, quantum, and blockchain Boom cycle ascend.
Dan Caruso
Dan Caruso, nicknamed “The Bear” for his tenacity and drive, is a fierce business leader known for his extraordinary track record of success in the telecommunications industry.
As founder and CEO of Zayo Group, Caruso led the company to a $14.3 billion exit, delivering exceptional returns for investors. His career highlights include co-founding executive roles at Level 3 Communications and leadership positions at Metropolitan Fiber Systems (MFS), both achieving multi-billion-dollar enterprise values. Caruso also spearheaded the 2004 take-private of ICG Communications, achieving a remarkable 25x return.
In 2020, he founded Caruso Ventures, a prominent investment firm focusing on quantum technology, space tech, and other Colorado scaleups. A three-time “Decacorn” entrepreneur, his expertise is shared with aspiring innovators through numerous organizations, including Endeavor Global, Elevate Quantum, and the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Caruso holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois. His numerous accolades include the Chicago Booth Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurship, the Colorado Technology Association’s Bob Newman Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Colorado Governor’s Corporate Citizenship Medal. Caruso has also inspired future generations as a commencement speaker for both the University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering and the University of Colorado Boulder MBA program.