• Link to Facebook
  • Link to X
  • Link to Youtube
  • Link to Instagram
  • Link to LinkedIn
  • Link to Mail
  • Donate
  • Register Now
  • Contact Us
  • Volunteer Portal
  • e-Catalog
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Greece
      • Italy (Sicily)
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs
      • Aguada – Puerto Rico
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Rio Grande Valley – Texas
  • Groups
      • Corporate Volunteers
      • College Student Volunteers
      • High School Student Volunteers
      • Professional Assocation Volunteers
  • Individuals
      • Retiree Volunteer
      • Solo Traveler Volunteer
      • Family Volunteers
      • Professional Volunteer
  • Projects
    • Community Work Projects
      • Delivering Essential Services
      • Teaching Conversational English
      • Supporting Community Development
      • Supplementing School-Based Curricula
      • View All Community Work Projects
  • Dates & Fees
    • Seasonal
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Monthly
      • January
      • February
      • March
      • April
      • May
      • June
      • July
      • August
      • September
      • October
      • November
      • December
      • All Service Program Dates
  • Impact
      • How we Measure Impact
      • The Power of Giving Impact
      • One Child at a Time
      • RCP Program Documentary Film
      • Tanzania Food & Nutrition Center’s Impact Evaluation
      • ORG in Action
  • Support
    • Donation Opportunities
      • Donate Now
      • Changemakers Club – Monthly
      • Gift Catalog
      • Matching Gifts
      • More Ways to Give
    • Foundation Opportunities
      • Funding Opportunities for Philanthropic Partners
  • News
  • Request Information
  • Click to open the search input field Click to open the search input field Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Donate
  • Gift Catalog
  • Register Now
  • Contact Us
  • –
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Greece
      • Italy (Sicily)
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs
      • Aguada – Puerto Rico
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Rio Grande Valley – Texas
  • Groups
    • Corporate Volunteers
    • College Student Volunteers
    • High School Student Volunteers
    • Professional Assocation Volunteers
  • Individuals
    • Retiree Volunteer
    • Solo Traveler Volunteer
    • Family Volunteers
    • Professional Volunteer
  • Projects
    • Delivering Essential Services
    • Teaching Conversational English
    • Supporting Community Development
    • Supplementing School-Based Curricula
    • View All Community Work Projects
  • Dates & Fees
    • Seasonal
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Monthly
      • January
      • February
      • March
      • April
      • May
      • June
      • July
      • August
      • September
      • October
      • November
      • December
    • All Service Program Dates
  • Impact
    • How we Measure Impact
    • The Power of Giving Impact
    • One Child at a Time
    • RCP Program Documentary Film
    • Tanzania Food & Nutrition Center’s Impact Evaluation
    • ORG in Action
  • Support
    • Donate Now
    • Changemakers Club – Monthly
    • Gift Catalog
    • Matching Gifts
    • More Ways to Give
    • Funding Opportunities for Philanthropic Partners
  • News
  • Request Information
  • e-Catalog
  • Volunteer Portal
Cultures and Traditions, Volunteer Voices Cuba

Internet Access in Cuba

Internet access in Cuba

Internet access in Cuba is relatively new, and it’s limited in several ways. There is only one telecommunications service provider, ETECSA, which is government owned, like most things in Cuba. ETECSA sells Wi-Fi cards which can be used in Wi-Fi hotspot areas in the city. They cost two dollars per hour, which is what an average Cuban doctor gets paid per day. This raises the question of whether it is really hard for the government to provide internet access to all the citizens, as a socialist government in theory should do, or is it that the government doesn’t want to give internet access to people outside its control. The answer depends on whom you ask.

Some people believe that the government is doing what it can, and proof of this is that it gives students free access to internet for education related use. To them, internet access in Cuba is completely open and censor-free. Others believe that the government withholds information and access to its people. Regardless of who is right, it is clear that the presence of internet access in Cuba, even if it’s limited, affects Cuban’s educational opportunities, the way they see their government, the world, and the way they see Cuba.

Not-free Speech

Hazel, from Ciego de Avila, believes that  internet access in Cuba is limited because Cuba is behind in technology. A man I tutored in Ciego de Avila, however, questions the government and its intentions: “I don’t think; I know that the government holds back information and access to certain websites from internet users in Cuba.” He continued to say that when people search certain words or phrases, certain results don’t come up because the “government filters” them. The filtering would include propaganda from the U.S. and anti-Cuban government sites and information.

The Cuban government does not tolerate speech against the regime. The government filters the internet because it has a tendency to challenge the regime, its ideas, and because it challenges the legitimacy of Castro. It tries to restrain democratic ideals from influencing the Cuban people. Free speech is another association to democratic ideals and liberalism that Cuba is trying to avoid.

Free Internet Access in Cuba

One of the only groups that have free internet access in Cuba is students, and they don’t even get full access. Adrián from Sanctí Spiritus went to school for computer science and said that they “had internet, but [they] didn’t” because they were not allowed to use internet to look things up such as codes. It was strange to him how someone getting a degree in computers was not able to fully use one. Codes would have come easily if he had the opportunity to look them up; instead, he and his classmates had to work on them for weeks. Pedro, a teacher at a university in Sanctí Spiritus, says that students do have access to the internet, but can only access certain educational sources. In some places, students must tell a librarian what they want to know and the librarian finds it and reports it to them afterwards. Why does the government restrict these things? Adrián mentioned how a telecommunications cable was wired from Venezuela to Cuba and it was the excitement of Cubans for a while until people realized it did not change telecommunications for them.

Internet access in Cuba

The streets of Havana show that Cuba lacks behind in technology.

False hopes?

Internet access affects people’s mentality about their own life and creates the desire to want to leave Cuba in search of greater opportunities elsewhere. Hazel says that when people see “wonderful things” outside of Cuba on the internet, they start to realize that they lack those things. Her teacher says that many people live in their imagination by envisioning their lives elsewhere, creating a growing desire to leave Cuba in search of new opportunities. However, this mentality is “not good” because Cubans need to stay in order to rebuild the economy and potentially a better Cuba. But with the amount of people wanting to leave, this seems unlikely. She, among many, believes that life in Cuba isn’t bad at all, and that the internet causes people to have a false look on reality and what they could have elsewhere, instead of appreciating what they do have. Once people leave and see that life is hard anywhere you go, it might be too late to come back. In that sense internet can have a negative impact.

The embargo

Some think that limited access is actually a result of the relations between the U.S. and Cuba. Adrián from Havana thinks that internet access is limited and expensive because of the U.S. embargo. But he believes that information between Cuba and the U.S. is not limited by his or the U.S. government. He claims to know this because he is able to read news sources from the U.S. such as the New York Times, and read propaganda against his country.

Internet access in Cuba is undeniably limited due to its cost and accessibility, but people’s opinions differ on why these limitation exist. Some say it’s due to lack of technology, but when technology expands, nothing changes, which leads to the question of whether the government is purposely restricting internet access. The internet is available for students for free, but even that is limited; why? Is the U.S. embargo the reason for limited internet? Is internet in Cuba filtered, or do Cubans really have open access? Limitations of internet impacts people’s education, communication, and life in general. For now, it is uncertain whether the Castro regime will make internet more open and accessible for people in Cuba. But it is certain that such a measure would only work for the benefit of Cubans.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
November 21, 2016/by Global Volunteers
https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Streets-of-Havana-Cuba.jpg 1000 1500 Global Volunteers https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Global Volunteers2016-11-21 12:36:232021-11-25 22:44:22Internet Access in Cuba
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Partner Communities

  • China (62)
  • Cook Islands (46)
  • Cuba (120)
  • Greece (75)
  • Italy (59)
  • Malaysia (3)
  • Montana (56)
  • Nepal (22)
  • Peru (121)
  • Poland (98)
  • Puerto Rico (5)
  • St Lucia (64)
  • Tanzania (253)
  • Texas (7)
  • Vietnam (33)

Categories

  • Classroom Assistance (13)
  • Conversational English (97)
  • Cultures and Traditions (125)
  • Development Impact (122)
  • Family Volunteering (55)
  • Free Time Options (63)
  • Group Volunteering (18)
  • Mental Health Projects (15)
  • News and Updates (146)
  • Partners' Stories (18)
  • Projects for Professionals (26)
  • Reaching Children's Potential (246)
  • Ripple Effect (7)
  • Service-Learning (50)
  • Staff Worldwide (27)
  • Volunteer Voices (618)
  • Why I Give (18)

Tags

American Indian culture Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English Cook Islands Volunteer vacaion Cook Island Volunteers Cuba people-to-people Cuba volunteering programs Earthbox gardens Essential Services family volunteer abroad family volunters food insecurity Funding your fee gender equality Health and nutrition healthcare High school groups Island volunteers Labor projects live together in peace nursing retiree volunteers Spring break students volunteer student volunteer summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader volunteer volunteer abroad volunteer benefits Volunteer impact volunteer in Cuba volunteer in the Cook Islands volunteer vacation volunteer with seniors wage peace work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering

Get Global Volunteers News Here!

Enter your email address to receive fresh new posts in your inbox.

  • About Us
  • Boards of Directors and Advisors
  • US and International Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • DEIB policy
  • Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • Volunteer Vacation FAQs
  • News/Media
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements and Accountability
  • Travel Risks
  • Site Map
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org
Federal EIN: 36-3352680

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

Subscribe to receive updates, new blog posts, and inspiring stories from our work around the world.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to X
  • Link to Youtube
  • Link to Instagram
  • Link to LinkedIn
  • Link to Mail
  • Global Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Our tax ID is 36-3352680. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent provided by the law.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Link to: Can Volunteerism Help Heal Ethnic Divisions in Cuba? Link to: Can Volunteerism Help Heal Ethnic Divisions in Cuba? Can Volunteerism Help Heal Ethnic Divisions in Cuba?healing ethnic divisions in Cuba Link to: The Legend Behind the Great Wall Link to: The Legend Behind the Great Wall The Legend Behind the Great WallThe Legend Behind the Great Wall
Scroll to top