CUBA:
Tighter Internet Access Still Just a Threat

Dalia Acosta


HAVANA,  (IPS) - More than a month has gone by since the Cuban government announced tighter access to the internet, but the measure has not yet been implemented, and may never be, according to a source close to the government.

A Dec. 31 resolution announced by the Ministry of Informatics and Communications, which was to go into effect on Jan. 24, stated that direct access to the worldwide web would only be available through telephone lines that are paid for in dollars -- which are restricted to foreigners or legal entities.

Cubans are not allowed to access the internet from their homes, although many do so illegally by purchasing stolen or borrowed log-on identities and passwords in a black market trade that is targeted by the new measure.

They are authorised to connect to the internet through their work-places in government offices, universities, health centres, research institutions, writers' and artists' unions, the media -- a state monopoly --, and foreign corporations.

But a source close to the government told IPS that either a much more diluted version of the measure will go into force, or it will be scrapped altogether, although no official announcements to that effect are expected.

''There will be massive exceptions to the rule (if it goes into effect), because otherwise the impact would go far beyond the personal sphere, and would also hit broad sectors of the economy,'' said the economist, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Besides journalists, academics and freelancers who work largely out of their homes, in the past few years there has been a considerable increase in the number of people engaged in telework.

A number of companies or institutions have found it more cost-effective for certain employees to work out of their homes, and many of them are provided with the technological equipment and passwords needed to telecommute.

''The employees tend to work in calmer conditions, they don't have to worry about transportation (a real headache in Cuba), and they are more efficient and produce better results, all of which means savings for the company. Telecommuting is also used for short-term jobs that are carried out under temporary contracts,'' the source added.

But a communique issued by the state telephone company, ETECSA, which is in charge of implementing the new measure, stated that ''the date on which the resolution is to begin to go into effect will be reported at the proper time.''

Nevertheless, that has not yet occurred, and the media have limited themselves to discussing the advantages of the pending measure, which according to the government would restrict access to the internet to ensure it is used primarily ''for the social good.''

When it was announced, the measure, designed to crack down on the theft of passwords and unauthorised internet usage, drew loud criticism from dissidents in Cuba and from international human rights groups, which said it was an attempt by the Cuban government of Fidel Castro to clamp down on access to information.

''The new measures, which limit and impede unofficial use, constitute yet another attempt to cut off Cubans' access to alternative views and a space for discussing them,'' the London-based rights watchdog Amnesty International complained at the time.

Observers in Cuba say that underlying the resolution is the cash-strapped state's need to increase the inflow of foreign exchange.

But others say the measure would cut off access to the 'web' by dissident groups, which are illegal in Cuba, or by private tourism businesses operating on the island.

Ministry of Informatics and Communications statistics indicate that around 40,000 Cubans surf the internet without the necessary authorisation.

Passwords, most of which have been stolen from a client of one of the four providers in Cuba, can be purchased for 30 or more dollars a month. Some people also use borrowed passwords.

Economists say it would be much more beneficial to the country to open up internet access to anyone who is interested, instead of maintaining the current rates of up to 300 dollars for round-the-clock connectivity -- an amount inconceivable to most Cubans.

Sources at ETECSA, however, say the current internet connections are already clogged, and would not be able to handle an expansion in the flow of on-line traffic.

According to the director of the National Computerisation Office, Roberto del Puerto, Cuba's connection with the rest of the world is strictly through satellite, which makes it ''very costly and limited.''

''Although several international fibre optic cables run along the ocean floor near Cuba, we do not have access to this rapid means of voice and data transmission because the United States has torpedoed the negotiations,'' said del Puerto.

Under such circumstances, the priorities are to benefit social services in first place, and secondly, to recuperate investment in hard currency, through commercial services paid for in dollars, say phone company spokespersons.

According to the Ministry of Informatics and Communications, there are around 270,000 computers in Cuba, 65 percent of which are connected to either a local intranet or the internet. Of that total, 58,800 are located in schools and other educational institutions.

A study published by the Cuban press reported that the number of e-mail accounts in this Caribbean island nation of 11.2 million climbed from 60,000 in 2001 to 480,000 today. But of that total, only 98,000 have access to the internet.

The on-line services offered by most cybercafes and post offices in Cuba tend to be limited to sending and receiving e-mails and surfing the Cuban intranet.

''There has been no change in the policy established for the internet in Cuba,'' said Minister of Informatics and Communications Ignacio González at a panel discussion broadcast on Cuban TV.

''The world is full of hackers, viruses, Trojan horses, illegal uses of the Web, on-line pornography. Measures are taken everywhere, every day, to control that chaos, and are indispensable to keep the web functioning properly,'' he said.