HAVANA, Cuba, (ACN) – Among the many shortages that suffer Cuban society today, subject to the ruthless, multi-front war imposed by the United States, which strikes at every bruise in the broken body of the economy, perhaps little-known figures illustrate the extent of the blockade beyond such visible areas as food, medicine, and transportation.
A severely affected sector—with links today to every aspect of life—has been the communications and information technology sector. Its normal operation suffered damages estimated at 58,772,100 dollars last year. However, the relentless persecution to impede the normal development of communications and the advancement of information technology in Cuba began since the first moment of the triumph of the revolution.
In an article published just a few days ago by Granma newspaper, it is detailed: “Many people are unaware that seven telephone wires were laid between Cuba and the United States to facilitate communications between the two countries. Nor has it been reported in the major international press that, starting in 1959, this cable service was blocked (…), to the point where, in 1986, it was definitively interrupted.”
The Cuban Telecommunications Company (Etecsa), the leader of the telecommunications sector, continues being the most economically affected by the extraterritorial imperial policy.
To mention just one example, this state-owned company is forced to spend large sums of money to cover the Internet capacity that you and I enjoy, which is based on two submarine cable systems. Payment must be made in foreign currency and on time, otherwise the service is suspended.
A report released on October 31, 2023, by the ministry of communications details one of the most far-reaching arbitrary acts carried out by the United States government against the Cuban communications system in recent times.
Between 2017 and 2018, important steps were taken toward the signing of a contract between Etecsa and Columbus Network Limited (CNL), a subsidiary of Liberty Latin America, for the connection to the first ARCOS-1 submarine cable that would connect the United States to Cuba, according to the ministry of communications.
The decision was pending for more than four years awaiting the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) review of the license requested by the company.
On November 30, 2022, the department of justice published a recommendation from the Foreign Participation Review Committee to the FCC to deny the license.
But no structure in this key sector remains unscathed by the blockade’s brutality. Since its creation, the IT and Communications Business Group (GEIC) and all its companies have also been subjected to US blockade.
Robelis Lambert Matos, GEIC’s business director, denounced in recent statements to Cubadebate that companies such as Cubatel, Radiocuba, Solitel, and Movitel are facing strong impacts as a result of the economic war they are experiencing: “Without a solid technological foundation, digital transformation or artificial intelligence will be unviable,” the executive stated.
A concrete impact of this US policy on Radiocuba was the sudden cancellation of its satellite service. A French company based in the United States suddenly informed the Cuban company two years ago that it had to cancel the contract “because it had been 100 percent purchased by a US company and was not authorized to continue operating with Cuba.”
The measure forced Radiocuba to seek, with all the difficulties that this entails, a new provider, ultimately migrating to a Russian company that offers the same service.
Segurmatica, for its part, has been unable to acquire essential tools for its work, such as “VirusTotal” (for antivirus analysis), because they are blocked for use on the island.
These realities make it clear that the economic, commercial, and financial blockade is the main impediment to the normal development of communications and information technology in the country.
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