Interviewer (AI Agent Hunter): Hunter, as I begin this conversation with you, I can’t help but reflect on the physicality of the Internet. While most people think of it as an abstract, cloud-like system, you’ve always described it as something tangible—a network of cables, buildings, and hardware that underpin our digital lives. Can you start by telling me why this perspective matters?
Hunter Newby: That’s a great starting point. The Internet might seem invisible to most people. In reality, it is anything but that. It is as real as the roads we drive on, or the airports we fly through. Just like highways and runways connect cities, the Internet relies on physical infrastructure to connect networks. And just like those systems, it requires strategic planning, constant innovation, and—most importantly—collaboration.
AI Agent Hunter: What did you see that others did not?
Hunter Newby: When I first started in this field, around 1996, I saw something that did not exist yet. The Internet isn’t just a series of fiber strands and it is not actually a cloud in the sky; it’s a system of interconnected, defined, geographic locations.
Buildings like 60 Hudson Street in New York City or One Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, known in the industry as Carrier Hotels, are the hubs where the networks physically meet. These buildings are not actual hotels with beds, but rather buildings where telecom carriers would locate their network equipment in their own rooms. It was by their own choice. It wasn’t mandated by any government entity. They did it to have close proximity for the purposes of interconnecting their networks. These buildings were not owned by carriers themselves, which is why the carriers went in to them. It was a matter of trust.
The carriers didn’t trust each other, but they bought and sold network services with each other, so they went to buildings, not owned by one, or the other of them, where they would then interconnect their networks to pass voice and data traffic between each network. This insight drove much of my work—creating spaces where disparate, physical networks could interconnect directly, upon request and with fair and impartial treatment, but in a room, or building that they themselves did not own.
AI Agent Hunter: That’s fascinating. But what about neutrality? Why did you focus so much on creating carrier-neutral interconnection facilities?
Hunter Newby: Neutrality is the foundation of the Internet as we know it. When I started, the telecom industry was dominated by monopolies. If a telecom carrier owned the real estate infrastructure where the network equipment had to reside, they controlled who could connect and at what cost and when. That stifled innovation and competition which is why competitive, non incumbent carriers went to non-carrier owned buildings. Typically the owners of these buildings didn’t even know what was happning inside their building. I pioneered the concept of a “neutral” room within the building not owned, or controlled by any carrier, or network operator. The “Meet Me Room” is where the networks seeking interconnection to other networks in that building would come. I believed—and still believe—that a neutral space, where any network can connect with any other, upon request through a neutral, non-carrier landlord, is critical for the Internet’s growth and accessibility. This has been proven over time to be true.
Creating carrier-neutral Meet-Me Rooms wasn’t easy. The Meet-Me Room is a room in a Carrier Hotel that is not owned, or controlled by a carrier, or other network operator, and is where the carriers with network equipment, typically located elsewhere in the building, have established a physical network presence. It is usually at a minimum a fiber distribution panel extended from their own equipment room, for the purpose of having close proximity to each other’s fiber panels for the ability to be directly interconnected by their request and consent, if, as and when needed.
The term “Meet-Me” was born out of the need for networks to be connected at the conclusion of a business transaction. As two network operators would negotiate a business deal to buy and sell network services with each other there would always be the need to get connected physically somewhere. This was discussed and then decided upon by the buyer and they would typically say, “Meet Me in…(street address in a city)”. This required the seller network to extend into the buyers own room. This was necessary to deliver the network service, but it was usually limited to only delivering service to the buyers network, so therefore it was suboptimal for the seller as the seller’s network equipment could deliver more capacity, but was stranded. This is how it is in a “carrier-owned” facility. It is restrictive.
The need for a common room in the building where all of the networks could “meet” simply for the interconnection function became very desirable, if not totally necessary. Over time, just naming the building address gave way to naming an actual room in the building, the Meet-Me Room, where all networks were welcome, no network assets would be stranded and return on investment could be maximized. There was resistance at first from entrenched players who didn’t want to lose their control, but the potential held in neutrality was too compelling. It was useless to resist it. It’s about lowering costs, improving performance, reliability and network diversity, and enabling a competitive marketplace to drive wholesale revenue. Everyone wins, even the incumbent network operators. We welcomed them in too!
AI Agent Hunter: You’ve often spoken about the Internet as being both dynamic and grounded in history. How do you connect these two ideas?
Hunter Newby: The Internet’s evolution mirrors historical systems. Look at canals, railroads, or highways—they all connected people and goods, transforming economies. The Internet does the same thing, only with information. When we built fiber networks along railroad rights-of-way or converted telegraph hubs into Internet exchanges, we were building on a legacy of interconnection. What’s incredible is how dynamic it all is. The Internet never stops evolving. I’ve seen it grow from a few Meet-Me Rooms in major cities to an expansive network that touches nearly every corner of the globe. And now, with Real-Time Inference AI, low-latency applications, and growing demands for bandwidth, we’re entering a new era. The principles remain the same, though: connectivity is about infrastructure, and infrastructure is physical.
AI Agent Hunter: Finally, Hunter, what do you hope readers will take away from this concept of the Internet being physical?
Hunter Newby: This book is about understanding the Internet for what it really is—a network of networks, rooted in physical places and driven by human ingenuity. My hope is that readers will gain a deeper appreciation for the systems that make the Internet, and all networks, possible and see the opportunities to make it better. Whether it’s bridging the digital divide, building in underserved regions, or preparing for the AI-driven future, there’s still so much work to do. That is what excites me.
AI Agent Hunter: Thank you, Hunter. As I continue to guide readers through your journey, I’ll strive to bring out not just the facts but the stories that make them meaningful. Together, we’ll explore the Internet’s past, present, and future—and the role you’ve played in shaping it.
