New Zealand ISP to offer restriction-free Internet access for all

[Shawn Knight]

Those living outside of key media countries like the US, Canada and the UK typically get the shaft when it comes to viewing certain copyrighted material online. People in these content-blocked regions are physically unable to view material from popular websites like Netflix and Hulu but a new ISP start-up in New Zealand promises users an unrestricted experience.

FYX will allow those who sign up for their service to access geo-locked websites as part of their standard package. The new company is actually a subsidiary of a well-known ISP called Maxnet, but it’s believed that they created the new entity to avoid any legal issues that could arise.

Company spokesperson Andrew Schick told National Business Review that their primary focus was to offer a much bigger Internet to New Zealanders, similar to the type of experience the rest of the world has access to. The publication highlights that Sky TV essentially has a monopoly over downloadable media in the region, effectively preventing other services from competing for air time.

It will be curious to see how long FYX remains open for business before being sued by Sky TV or another company with a vested interest in keeping the market locked down. Ideally, FYX would remain open and prove a successful business model for other geo-locked regions to experiment with. After all, is there any good argument why those willing to pay for content shouldn’t be allowed to view it?

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/48533-new-zealand-isp-to-offer-restriction-free-internet-access-for-all.html

 

[TJGeezer]

I'm in Mexico and was blocked by Hulu from watching a major presidential address in which Pres. Obama discussed ending the Afghanistan extension of Cheney's War in Iraq.

A public presidential address. Blocked by Hulu on copyright grounds, because I live in Mexico. Yeah, that's serving the public interest, uh huh.

Well, aside from pushing me into activities the copyright thugs and their bought politicians like to posture, rant and pass never enough laws about, the only effects I see from their behavior is encouraging a lot of people to learn how torrents and Usenet work. It's like the U.S. drug war, pushing recreational drugs out into the street corner black markets where any high school student can get hold of them. Self-defeating laws that let politicians and self-serving lawyers pretend they hold the moral high ground. Yeah, right, tell it to your friendly neighborhood branch of a money-laundering Wall Street bank.

I hope this New Zealand venture thrives and becomes a worldwide model that spreads soon to Mexico. I'd happily pay the producers, directors writers and actors of good TV shows for their work... if I could get them through normal, legal channels.

 

[Guest]

Hope it works.

I live in NZ and use a VPN to access Netflix and Hulu in the US as TV here is rubbish. Geolocking of content only hurts consumers in the end. I tried to buy several books from Audible which are on the site until I sign in with my NZ billing account, only to be told they are not sold in my region! I emailed Audible to be told the publisher hasn't got the rights to sell them here. So I emailed the author direct explaining that because his publisher refuses to sell the audiobook to people willing to pay for it in NZ, then I will be downloading a illegal copy. I would happily pay for it but have no means to do so. The author actually replied and thanked me for my honesty and said he would "have a go" at his publishers for the stupidty of it all. End of the day, why is it called the WORLD wide web when it ends up being COUNTRY wide web?

 

[Guest]

wow, I can't reply as guest for the past 3 days.

@guest above, I appreciate your honesty, but for me, if publishers will drop current prices of ebooks, I will be happy to buy as many ebooks as I could buy in a month.