According Cubanet News, in Cuba “Internet service is offered to foreign visitors or foreign legal persons with permanent or temporary residence in Cuba. At the moment this service is not offered to Cuban individuals (…), nor the Cuban residential sector.”
The article, written by Cuban blogger Yusnaby Pérez continues:
“In text on ETECSA’s website, the State telecom monopoly, it shows the known discrimination (initially published in the Official Gazette) on the prohibition of Internet access natural Cuban people in their homes.
Despite all the resistance of the Regime to the population having access to the network, the emerging Cuban civil society is seeing initiatives and petitions that are driving popular demand for open Internet access, regardless of nationality and affordability.
These initiatives have motivated several bloggers which have been organized within the island to collect signatures, and submit the request to the Ministry of Communications, where the popular desire to access new technologies without restrictions will be in black and white. An example of citizen activism is the request for “affordable Internet access for the general population in Cuba” at the hands of telecommunications engineer Norges Rodriguez, who opened the debate in the Cuban blogosphere.
The offline world (disconnected content, web and video packets) is growing on the island. Weekly packets are circulating around the country with movies, series, documentaries, news, and updated websites. This allows information quickly spread through disks and USB memory sticks.
Another initiative being talked about is the Connect Cuba campaign. The streets of Havana are waking up to graffiti depicting the Wi-Fi symbol using the colors of the Cuban flag. Connect Cuba is a campaign that, according to its explanation, seeks “to empower Cuban civil society with open, uncensored access to the Internet and the ability to communicate freely with each other and the world.” The presidents of the CDR (neighborhood groups organized by the Government to monitor other neighbors), are ordered to remove graffiti from Connect Cuba.”
To read the full article (Spanish), click here.