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CUBA:
Yes to Computers
and Internet - But Not at Home,
Thanks
Patricia
Grogg
HAVANA, (IPS) - Cuba's
computer technology policy gives
priority to the social uses of
information technology and
telecommunications, while
excluding private access to
tools like the internet.
"As we are able to afford them,
new areas will open up," the
Cuban minister of Information
Technology and Communications,
Ignacio González Planas, assured
IPS on Friday at an Internet
forum organised by the foreign
ministry.
González Planas did not,
however, clarify whether those
"new areas" would include the
possibility of access by Cuban
citizens to the Internet from
personal accounts on their home
computers.
That option does not appear to
be a part of current plans,
which focus on developing
intensive social use of
available connection resources.
According to official
information, there were 335,000
computers in Cuba at the end of
June this year, or 2.98
computers per 100 inhabitants.
But only 13 out of every 1,000
Cubans had access to the
Internet in 2004.
Primary and secondary schools in
Cuba, 93 of which have only one
pupil, started the present
school year with a total of
46,290 computers available to
their students.
In this country, where the
entire population has access to
free education, all the
universities are connected to
the Internet, as are the
scientific centres and the media
(a state monopoly), among other
institutions.
But buying or importing a
computer is subject to strict
regulations, and the same is
true for private access to the
worldwide web.
"My father brought me computer
components from abroad, and we
assembled it here. Then I got an
e-mail account," related María
del Carmen, a 26-year-old
economist who declined to give
her surname.
This young woman, who preferred
not to go into details about the
origin of her e-mail account,
stated that e-mail connections
are more numerous than those for
surfing the web, but they are
nevertheless subject to
restrictions in the private
sector.
"In the office we have Internet,
and I use it to look up whatever
I need for the graduate course
I'm studying," she said. Buying
a password on the "black market"
to surf the web at home would
cost her about 40 dollars, which
would entitle her to three
hours' access a day - but that
is beyond her means, she
explained.
González Planas stated that
economic conditions in Cuba
prevent mass access to the
Internet, and therefore the
government has elected to make
such resources available for
social use, through collective
centres, e-mail and web-surfing
rooms, schools, universities and
computer youth clubs.
"This is definitely more
effective and more citizens can
have access than if, for
example, we installed
connections in a few homes,
which only a small élite could
afford and would use up a large
part of our band-width," said
González Planas.
However, the e-mail and
web-surfing rooms are few and
far between, and are mainly
located in the tourist hotels.
Furthermore, they only accept
convertible pesos (local
currency equivalent to the U.S.
dollar), and they do not always
admit Cuban citizens.
At present, Cuba's connection to
the web has insufficient
band-width to satisfy the
country's demand, and the only
link to the Internet is via
satellite.
According to experts, the
problem could be solved by
connecting a fibre optic cable
between Cuba and the U.S. state
of Florida, but the terms of the
U.S. embargo against Cuba
prevent this.
"If for economic reasons
citizens cannot have access to
the Internet in their homes,
other options should be
encouraged, such as distributing
the existing sites more widely,
and offering the service at
moderate rates," dissident
Manuel Cuesta told IPS.
In his opinion, the economic
aspect is being used to "mask"
ideological reasons. "It's a way
of extending the limits on
freedom of expression, which is
a greater evil, to the area of
technology," he maintained.
Cuesta is a spokesperson for
Progressive Rainbow, a coalition
of moderate dissident groups
linked to the electronic
magazine Consensus, which has
just issued its fourth edition.
"We pool our resources to obtain
access to the Internet. Ours is
the only opposition electronic
magazine from within Cuba," he
remarked.
The Cuban government considers
all dissident groups to be
"mercenaries in the service of
the empire" (the United States).
Some of these groups have web
pages located on servers outside
the country.
Cuba will be represented at the
second phase of the World Summit
on the Information Society, to
be held in Tunis Nov. 16-18, by
a 20-strong delegation headed by
the minister of Information
Technology and Communications.
One of the matters to be
discussed at the conference is
governance of the Internet -
that is, how the worldwide web's
technical and political facets
should be administered, and how
domain names and numbers should
be assigned.
Governments of developing
countries and civil society
organisations are demanding
participation in the way the
Internet is governed. The web
was originally created and
developed in the United States,
and the U.S. government
continues to exercise dominance
in its administration.
Havana will take the opportunity
at this meeting to demand that
the United States cease
"illegal" radio and television
transmissions aimed at Cuba.
Expert sources say these
transmissions add up to 2,425
hours per week and are broadcast
on 30 frequencies.
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