3. How a state meeting in Paraguay changed the course of my project and my life

The meeting that marked the beginning of everything

Before my name appeared in investigations, hearings and judicial proceedings, there was a key moment that changed the course of everything: an official meeting with one of the most important state-owned companies in Paraguay.

That meeting was not secret, not irregular, not improvised.

It was a meeting requested by the president of the institution himself, who was looking for real solutions to face a decade of financial, technological and commercial crisis within a public company.

I went because I believed, and still believe, that technology should serve the country, not private interests.

The request for help

During that lunch, the president of the state entity told us something that was already known in the industry:

• the company was under pressure;

• according to his account, the prices demanded for licenses and rights were abusive because it was a public entity;

• and every attempt to modernize its service ended up being blocked by artificially inflated costs.

In the middle of that crisis, he had heard about our technology.

He had seen its success with one of his clients, a mutual friend.

And he knew that our OTT model, modern, lightweight, cost-effective and highly stable, could give the institution a second life.

The proposal that could have changed the market

We agreed to help.

We presented a complete project a next-generation OTT solution, with:

• legally acquired rights;

• extremely competitive costs thanks to the negotiation volume we have in the United States;

• a device officially certified by CONATEL;

• an existing network structure within the country;

• an administrative, accounting and technical ecosystem ready to be implemented.

The objective was simple and completely legitimate:

• to modernize the state-owned company;

• to help it overcome a deep crisis;

• to allow small and medium-sized TV and internet operators to compete under equal conditions.

That project would not only strengthen the State.

It would also benefit hundreds of Paraguayan companies, and above all the end user, who would finally have real options and fair prices.

The key point: Paraguayan football

There was an additional component that made the project even more valuable:

according to what was explained to us within the Paraguayan regulatory framework, the state-owned company had the right to resell the national football channel as a way to prevent monopolies.

This meant that, for the first time, ISPs and cable operators would have legal access to that content.

It was a historic opportunity:

a single decision could democratize access to Paraguayan football.

Everything was ready.

Everything was in order.

Everything was legal.

Everything was beneficial for the country.

And then, the unexpected happened

Barely two weeks after we formalized our proposal, the first raid took place.

The only company that:

• had certified its data center;

• had certified its device with CONATEL;

• had submitted official contracts and legitimate licenses;

• had legal support in the United States;

• and had explained the entire model to the regulatory authority…

Was precisely the only company raided under accusations of piracy.

While thousands of illegal devices were being sold, and continue to be sold, throughout the country, including in well-known shopping centers, there was never a raid there.

Never.

Not one.

Coincidence?

I do not believe so.

And every person who hears this story reaches their own conclusion.

But that is how everything began.

A meeting intended to help ended up becoming the trigger for a legal persecution that has already lasted for years.