Cuba accuses US of sneaky Wi-Fi imperialism

Not so ironic

"...if it's true then there's a wonderful irony in American's spending money imposing a trade ban which prevents Cuba from getting decent internet access, while at the same time subsidising satellite access for individual Cubans."

I guess it comes down to who gets to do the monitoring and filtering of unacceptable sites/material - the US government or the Cuban government. It seems unlikely that either would encourage Cubans to have an unadulterated version of the truth.

Like most dissertations about cuba, this one missed the point completely.

"Internet access is tightly controlled in Cuba"

That part is absolutely true. Cuba has less internet access than any country in the world. The last thing a govt that lies to its people wants is for them to have access to the truth.

"not least 'cos the ongoing US embargo prevents the country tapping into the undersea cables which snake past the island."

That statement is patently false. Obama removed all such restrictions early in 2009. Cuba has been made scores of offers by international telcommunications companies to "hook them up" and at no cost to Cuba. Despite the huge sums of money this seriously cash-strapped country could make on any such deal, they have turned them all down. Instead they ostensibly ran a very lengthy cable from Venezuela which reached Cuban shores early this year. Nothing has ever been hooked up to it and now there are allegations that the cable doesn't actually exist.

The US has done lots of stupid things in their treatment of Cuba. This is not one of them. Illegal satellites and wifi are a reflection of the black market trying to find ways to tap into the lucrative hunger for internet access, not some US govt plot.

Cuba

It's time to let Cuba in from the cold.

Time to bring them into the international community as full member.

Time for Europe to help overcome the far_too_long dearth of modern goods in that country.

Cuba have a health service that any Western country would be proud of, and that's under severe international restrictions.

If the USA want to continue their sad isolation, let the wall continue there, feed their pique laden righteousness. But let the rest of the world deal with Cuba as with any other country.

embargo = bullying

Now that the US has taken control of Haiti, there is just one Caribbean island not under its control or its allies' control. Wait for the mess when Fidel dies.