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| A woman reads Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez's webpage in Montevideo, on May 21, 2014. Dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez on Wednesday launched her long-awaited digital newspaper, the first media outlet since the Cuban Revolution not under state control. Sanchez, 38, whose prize-winning blog Generacion Y is known for its critical take on her communist-ruled homeland, at 08:05 am (1205 GMT) launched her 14ymedio online newspaper. A little more than an hour after its launch, the site 14ymedio.com was hijacked and readers inside Cuba were directed to a page dedicated to scathing criticism of Sanchez by well-known pro-government writers. AFP PHOTO/PANTA ASTIAZARAN |
While announcing his new policy towards the Communist-controlled island, President Obama said:
"I believe in the free flow of information. Unfortunately, our sanctions on Cuba have denied Cubans access to technology that has empowered individuals around the globe." [1]
This is a blatant lie and anybody with even a tiny knowledge of current Cuban affairs knows it. Cubans don't have access to technology because the Castro regime doesn't want them to have access. Obama chooses to ignore this.
Earlier this year, the Cuban Communist Party refused to accept Google’s offer to install WiFi antennas throughout Cuba for FREE. They say they are suspicious of the free offer because, "imperialists intend to use it as a way to destroy the Revolution." [2]
So, it's not about the money. They claim to be skeptical of free offers. But, they also turned down Google's initial low-cost offer to expand Wi-Fi access. [3] Why would the Cuban Communist Party turn down an offer that "could significantly benefit Cubans, who have one of the lowest Internet access rates in the world?" [4] Because they don't want Cubans on the world wide web. They want just an intranet.
"The government of Cuba maintains almost complete control over telecommunications industries in the country, and it uses a mix of repressive policies and price gouging to keep Cubans offline." [1]
Yet, ordinary Cubans with admirable ingenuity have found ways to voice their opinions on blogs. Sadly, in Cuba, blogging about your opinions is a crime punishable with jail time.
Regardless of your opinion of Marco Rubio, he was correct when he said,
"The president said that the people of Cuba do not have access to advanced, 21st century modern technology for communications and telecommunications because of the U.S. embargo. That is false. The reason why they don't have access to 21st century telecommunications — like smart phones, like access to the Internet — is because it's illegal in Cuba." [1]
Stop putting false blame on the U.S. embargo of Cuba. Cuba has help from other authoritarian regimes. In 2011, Cuba installed a 1,600 kilometer fiber-optic cable with financial help from China.[1] Even then, internet access in Cuba did not improve. According Larry Press, an information systems professor at California State University Dominguez Hills, "there are poorer countries with better Internet access." [1]
And it’s not as though the United States is the only country capable of supplying Cuba with telecommunications technology in today’s global economy. The regime has prioritized preventing political dissent over technological advancement. There’s no guarantee that will change if U.S. policy does. [1]
This bears repeating. The number one reason why Cubans are denied access to technology is that the regime has prioritized preventing political dissent over technological advancement.
President Obama did lie about the embargo being the cause of lagging technology. We can, however, count on Obama to tell the truth when he talks to leaders of murderous regimes. This is what "Mr. Hope and Change" said at the Summit of the Americas after speaking face-to-face with dictator Raul Casto, "On Cuba, we are not in the business of regime change." [5]
Clearly, President Obama has no intention for the people of Cuba to have improved access to technology.
Notes:
Photo: Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez’s digital newspaper, 14ymedio, Cuba’s first independent daily digital news outlet, published directly from the island. A little more than an hour after its launch, the site 14ymedio.com was hijacked and readers inside Cuba were directed to a page dedicated to scathing criticism of Sanchez by well-known pro-government writers. The site is still blocked in Cuba. AFP PHOTO/PANTA ASTIAZARAN
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