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?