Cuba's Internet Limits To Remain Post-Cable
Really, there's nothing to do here but sigh and hang one's head. Just
days after Britain promised that all of its citizens would be provided
broadband Internet access by 2012 and South Korea set forth a plan to
implement 1Gbps Internet connections within its borders, Cuba has
shamed the trend. And in royal fashion, no less.
According to a fresh report on the country's intent to continue limiting web access, we're told that it will still hamper connectivity even after a fiber optic cable linking it to Venezuela goes online in 2010. The forthcoming cable will measure some 960 miles and will "dramatically increase the island's level of connectivity." Of course, just because it will soon have the potential to surf at reasonable speeds doesn't mean that officials will allow citizens to do so.
Boris Moreno, deputy minister of computer science and communication,
stated the following: "We believe that the most responsible policy is
to privilege collective access." In fairness, he did tell the daily
Juventud Rebelde that he recognized a desire for a "larger number of
citizens to have Internet access," but many suggest that Cuba is no
closer to trusting its own people to surf at will on a reasonable
connection. In fact, Mr. Moreno even warned that just because a new
cable was going online, that wouldn't "necessarily decrease the price
the country pays for connection to international networks."
Currently, Cuba is forced to connect to the world wide web via satellite due to the US trade embargo. If said embargo were to be removed, Cuba could simply tap into an underwater Internet cable just 20 miles from Havana that runs from Miami, Florida to Cancun, Mexico. At present time, the nation has just 1.4 million web users out of its 11.4 million residents, though there has been a 23 percent increase in computers from 2007 to 2008.
According to a fresh report on the country's intent to continue limiting web access, we're told that it will still hamper connectivity even after a fiber optic cable linking it to Venezuela goes online in 2010. The forthcoming cable will measure some 960 miles and will "dramatically increase the island's level of connectivity." Of course, just because it will soon have the potential to surf at reasonable speeds doesn't mean that officials will allow citizens to do so.
Boris Moreno, deputy minister of computer science and communication,
stated the following: "We believe that the most responsible policy is
to privilege collective access." In fairness, he did tell the daily
Juventud Rebelde that he recognized a desire for a "larger number of
citizens to have Internet access," but many suggest that Cuba is no
closer to trusting its own people to surf at will on a reasonable
connection. In fact, Mr. Moreno even warned that just because a new
cable was going online, that wouldn't "necessarily decrease the price
the country pays for connection to international networks."Currently, Cuba is forced to connect to the world wide web via satellite due to the US trade embargo. If said embargo were to be removed, Cuba could simply tap into an underwater Internet cable just 20 miles from Havana that runs from Miami, Florida to Cancun, Mexico. At present time, the nation has just 1.4 million web users out of its 11.4 million residents, though there has been a 23 percent increase in computers from 2007 to 2008.
