Interview with the Cuban Minister of Communications, Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella, which deals with topics related to the process of computerization of Cuban society, the effects of the blockade on the communications sector, and the will of the government to boost and expand the access to the Internet in the country.

Economic difficulty or censorship?
Just as the interviewer pointed out, Internet access limitations in Cuba have been often interpreted -mostly by sectors that criticize the Cuban political process or by hostile foreign governments- as a political circumstance related to the alleged desire of the local authorities to prevent the population from accessing certain contents.
There has not been a political motivation to prevent the Cuban population from accessing information and knowledge, Perdomo answered firmly, and proceeded to defend the abundant efforts that the Government, which was born from the Cuban Revolution, has done from its beginnings to foster culture and knowledgeability among the citizens.
Limitations in the access to the Internet and other global networks in Cuba in the last few years, like the ones we have today, are exclusively caused by the economic limitations that we have had to face, assured the Minister, who ascribes the criticism that depicts the problem as political censorship to the great amount of ill-intentioned, meddling and subversive activities to distort reality, and its origin can be found in the hostile policies of the USA against the Cuban Revolution.
In recent years, the access to the Internet has increased in accordance with our economic possibilities, Perdomo remarked, and pointed out that there are currently 6 million Cubans that have Internet access through different ways, a figure that represents half the population of Cuba.

The cynical policy of the USA concerning Cuba
According to Perdomo, one of the aspects that has greatly hindered the development of telecommunications in Cuba is the economic blockade imposed by the USA against the island. From the very triumph of the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban telecommunications sector has constantly been the object of a cynical double standard policy from the Government of the USA, affirmed the Minister. He also criticized the numerous subversive communication projects against Cuban authorities encouraged by the Department of State from the USA and denounced the progressive and constant harshening of the economic blockade.

The blockade has a direct influence on the possibilities of Cuba to acquire technology and on the banks fearful decisions whenever they must carry out transactions with Cuba, explained the interviewee.

Internet prices in Cuba
Another piece of criticism that Cuban Internet services still receive nowadays is related to its high prices.
Those prices have decreased and will continue to do so as we expand our access possibilities, Perdomo assured, and clarified that in any case there is price diversity, whether it is mobile telephony access and data consumption or access through Wi-Fi areas that have been enabled by local authorities.
The Minister also remembered that there is free access through institutional connectivity, which exists in workplaces and educational institutions.

However, Perdomo hopes that the knowledge on the use of that technology to which he referred before as the essential cornerstone of the process could be more massive and involve everyone: the students, the workers, and all the sectors of the nation and could have a humanist, supportive and anti-imperialist approach that opposes any kind of hegemonic discourse that is being imposed.

In relation to that, the Minister warned that current relations through the Internet are mainly dominated by transnationals from the USA that we all know.

In order to delve into this subject and fully know the viewpoints of this Cuban Minister and the details of the development project undertaken by his department, we suggest you watch the full interview in this video we are offering you.
This interview was published by Russia Today on the following web address:
https://bit.ly/3bgFnty