Kim Dotcom wants free NZ broadband
November 6, 2012
Kim Dotcom has proposed a scheme to bring free broadband to New Zealand, funded by his potential lawsuits against Hollywood studios and the US government. The Megaupload co-founder is currently battling extradition to the US, where he stands accused of crimes including piracy and racketeering.
However, a New Zealand court has since ruled that the police raids carried out on his Auckland mansion when Megaupload was shut down in January were unlawful, damaging his opponent’s case. Dotcom’s latest attempt to garner support in New Zealand involves the revival of plans to run a second fibre optic web cable across the Pacific to the US in a move that will double the country’s available bandwidth.
The controversial internet figure has declared that only business and government users should be charged to use the network, which he is planning to fund by suing his opposition. ”You have clean and cheap energy here. Power is becoming the biggest cost factor for data centres around the world. With its own cable, cheap power and connectivity, New Zealand could attract foreign internet business,” the New Zealand Herald quotes Dotcom as saying.
Dotcom recently unveiled his Megaupload successor, simply known as Mega, and is working on an online service aimed at musicians, called Megabox.