In this episode of Jason’s Industry Insights, I chat with Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard, the man known worldwide as the father of the cable modem, to revisit the origins of the broadband era as documented in his recently released book, "The Accidental Network - How a small company sparked a global broadband transformation."

Rouzbeh recounts how, in 1987, a 20-person team at LANCity built the first high-speed data network over cable, turning an 80-pound, $18,000 prototype into a $299 modem that changed the world. Their work laid the foundation for the DOCSIS standard, powering billions of broadband connections today.

This isn’t a nostalgic trip, it’s a study in innovation under constraint. Rouzbeh explains how a small startup out-engineered industry giants, created early forms of AI-driven diagnostics, and proved that persistence beats scale.

He shares how customer obsession kept the team moving, like discovering that weekend “network outages” were caused by hunters’ CB radios, seeing how telehealth pioneers used their tech to transfer cancer imaging data between hospitals in 1990, and how a school custodian didn't even know what "IoT" was, but needed it.

Rouzbeh reflects on giving away DOCSIS technology royalty-free to speed global adoption, why he predicts its sunset around 2040, and how broadband will become the foundation for AI infrastructure. His message to entrepreneurs is timeless:

• Solve a big problem that matters to people
• Build something that works
• Let the product do the talking

The conversation also offers a human side - sleep deprivation, car crashes, and six pounds of M&Ms a week that kept the engineers (and their kids) motivated.

Some key moments:

1. On Skepticism and Drive: “We were told it was too complex, it would never work. That was the fuel we needed to make it work.”
2. On Early AI: “Today everyone says AI, AI, AI. We built AI into our modems in 1990. They learned from noise and compensated for it.”
3. On Motivation: “Every time an engineer hit a wall, I sent them to the customer. Real users give more energy than any paycheck.”
4. On Giving It Away: “I could have charged royalties for DOCSIS, but that would have slowed broadband for the world. It wasn’t about money.”
5. On Leadership and M&Ms: “Kids came for the candy. Parents came back to work. Six pounds of M&Ms a week kept innovation alive.”

Rouzbeh’s story shows how grit, curiosity, and purpose turned a small Massachusetts startup into the birthplace of the broadband era.

You can find Rouzbeh's book on Amazon. You can find Rouzbeh on LinkedIn.