[nathan_f77]

I don't think this is possible. If it were true, then you could add a transistor and an LED on the other side of the 1000M wire, and light up the LED instantly as soon as you press the switch. (Transistors and LEDs only take a few nanoseconds to turn on.) It's not possible to send any kind of signal or information faster than the speed of light.

[jstimpfle]

Watch the video, read the other comments. The "instant" current flow comes from crosstalk. While the resistor and the battery are separate by 500m worth of ire on each side, they are actually located next to each other (so both places can be measured simultaneously).

[kreetx]

In the video he explains that the "faster than light" effect happens due to the magnetic field traveling through air (because the light bulb is so near by). At least that's how I understood it; and hence my question about changing the position.

[function_seven]

Parent's use of "instantly" is a bit imprecise. Here "instantly" means after 1 ns, whereas "speed of light delay" means the delay over the full 500m distance out and back.

[tsimionescu]

The point here is that the LED is 1m away from the source. The signal still reaches it after a light-speed delay, but it doesn't travel along the wires, it travels through the air.