Epoch Networks (www.epochnetworks.com) was, at one time, the largest privately held first tier
internet service provider
An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise privat ...
ISP founded by Scott Purcell in 1994. It was the fourth commercial internet backbone in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Epoch was also one of the first members of the
Commercial Internet eXchange
The Commercial Internet eXchange (CIX) was an early interexchange point that allowed the free exchange of TCP/IP traffic, including commercial traffic, between ISPs. It was an important initial effort toward creating the commercial Internet that w ...
—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
The Commercial Internet eXchange (CIX) was an early interexchange point that allowed the free exchange of TCP/IP traffic, including commercial traffic, between ISPs. It was an important initial effort toward creating the commercial Internet that w ...
, a predecessor of today's
Network Access Points."
Internet service providers of the United States