Kim Dotcom's Next Venture: Free Broadband To New Zealand

First time accepted submitter damagedbits writes "So it turns out that Me.ga is only part of Kim Dotcom's resolution for 2013. Even though he's still facing extradition to the U.S. for alleged piracy, Dotcom has plans to resurrect Pacific Fibre's failed project to construct a fiber optic cable across the Pacific to the U.S. The new line will bring free high-speed broadband to New Zealanders and double the nation's Internet bandwidth, setting Dotcom back about $400m." Some of that funding is based on optimism: "Dotcom plans on getting the majority of his funds by suing Hollywood studios and the US government for their 'unlawful and political destruction of [Megaupload].'"

Re:How does he afford $400 million?

[Pathogen David]

RTFA:

"Dotcom plans on getting the majority of his funds by suing Hollywood studios and the US government for their 'unlawful and political destruction of [Megaupload].'"

Re:How does he afford $400 million?

[Kokuyo]

Dude, seriously, you didn't even need to RTFA... the summary would have been more than adequate to answer your question...

Re:This is actually cool...

[TheTurtlesMoves]

Not really. I am a NZ'er and I can tell you that the issue in NZ is no one like him at all. Despite the fact that it was an illegal raid or whatever he still just doesn't get any support from the general public. Basically we all know he is a total ass from other fairly public appearances that he has made.

Re:This is actually cool...

[tbird81]

That's not true at all. He has a hell of a lot of support amongst the computer-literate and young.

We all hate that the major parties sold us down the shitter over the S92a bullshit. Everyone knew from the start the raid was over-the-top (fucking helicopters, that must be a first in a NZ arrest!), and are not surprised that the GCSB didn't know their arse from their elbow.

The guy has done nothing wrong in our country. He enabled some people to upload things to a website - that's not a crime. And just because some people uploaded copyrighted things (based on unfair enormously long, and bribed-to-get-that-way copyright terms) to his website, does not make him a money launderer!

Re:Free? Nonsense

[xtal]

Transit costs are marginal.

Once the fiber is in place, operational expenses on a link per bit are basically zero. You'd have to get it connected to a peering hub of course, but on the scale he's talking about, it's not a big deal.

Bandwidth is (almost) free. Capital build is not. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.