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

Posted by timothy on from the take-a-left-at-hawaii dept.

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].'"

9 of 279 comments (clear)

  1. This is actually cool... by CRC'99 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ... It really seems to be a Robin Hood type thing....

    The 'rich' taking the 'richer' to the cleaners to provide broadband to the masses for free...

    Lately I can't seem to fault this guy....

    --
    Sendmail is like emacs: A nice operating system, but missing an editor and a MTA.
    1. Re:This is actually cool... by robot5x · · Score: 5, Insightful

      he's definitely doing it right though - simultaneously stick two fingers up at the Americans, and promise the Kiwis an improvement on their piss-poor internet.

      I think he's a dick, but this is a great show.

      --
      Hej! Nasi tu byli!
  2. Best of luck to him. by klingers48 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'd say that regardless of your stance on intellectual property, if you dig below the surface then you can see there was some very grubby, nepotistic and borderline criminal politics at work in the obliteration of Megaupload and the persecution Dotcom. Not to mention all the collateral damage to busineses using Megaupload for legitimate backups (even if we do acknowledge that a huge chunk of that data was probably pirated...).

    I'm doubtful of how successful any court action will be directly against the US government, but if he's willing to funnel it back into the kind of altruistic endeavour he's proposing, I say power to him. I'm sure that LOTR-notwithstanding, It's more than Hollywood's ever done for New Zealand's economy.

    1. Re:Best of luck to him. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You're right, but still, if I had to choose, I'd choose an evil douche like him with his evil company over an organized evil body like MAFIAA with its lapdog, the US government, any time, anywhere without so much of a blink of an eye.

    2. Re:Best of luck to him. by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Seems to be all they know. It still leads downhill.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  3. Re:How does he afford $400 million? by Pathogen+David · · Score: 5, Informative
    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].'"

  4. he's got my vote. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Put me on the jury and i'll award him billions.

    What the US and NZ goverment did to him was wrong, illegal, and COMPLETE BULLSHIT!
    You can't be the good guys pulling shit like that over some fucking media... not something serious... movies and music... what. the... fuck!

    So i'll root for the 'criminal' here. Because all in all he's far less of a scumbag than any of the politicians or law enforcement agents involved in this clusterfuck megaupload case.

    See america... this is how far we have fallen.. i'd rather support a "criminal" than law enforcement thugs or politicians.
    USA! We are the worlds biggest hypocrites! Respect is earned and the USA deserves damm little anymore.
    And if i had my way i'd see ALL of the politicians and pigs involved in this case thrown in jail for a decade.

  5. Re:please by Rakshasa-sensei · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Real heros?

    How about a guy that got raided by Delta-force with assault rifles and helicopters, a billion dollar business destroyed with no due process, and illegal spying that is pretty close to getting a prime minister redhanded in illegalities?

    What has gone down would be enough to produce a pretty damn good movie and you're questioning if he's been through enough to qualify for some support? Are you perhaps a sore dick mad at the world cause someone else has done cool stuff and you never got out of your mom's basement.

  6. Re:I Like this guy... by witherstaff · · Score: 5, Funny

    but I am enjoying the show.

    It's all you people enjoying the free shows that got him in trouble in the first place!