U.S. limits Cuba’s connection to telecommunication networks

The U.S. government prevents Cuba from connecting to international telecommunication networks through fiber optic cables, the First Deputy Minister of Communications, Wilfredo Gonzalez said.

In an interview with the Cuban News Agency, the functionary detailed that with its hostile actions, the northern nation limits the island’s access to the Internet, the use of information, and the exchange and creation of knowledge.

“This violates the right of Cubans to use this service and the need to expand and diversify the country’s international connectivity, as a strategic measure,” Gonzalez denounced.

He stressed that the economic, commercial and financial blockade continues to be the main impediment to a better flow of information and broad access to the Internet and to information and communications technologies for the Cuban people.

He also denounced the double standards used by the U.S. government in developing actions for that purpose, and at the same time using cyberspace for subversive purposes, against sovereignty and the legal and constitutional order, as well as international norms, in an attempt to overthrow the political system on the island.

He explained that since interconnections with operators cannot be made directly in the United States, where the main interconnection nodes are located, the Cuban Telecommunications Company is obliged to extend the network with points in the United Kingdom, Jamaica and Venezuela, which entails millions of dollars in expenses.