Cuba slams U.S. rejection of undersea telecoms connection to island By Reuters

By Dave Sherwood and David Shepardson

HAVANA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Cuba´s Vice International Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio on Thursday accused long-time rival america of doublespeak after the Biden administration proposed to scrap a plan to put in a brand new undersea telecommunications cable to Cuba.

The administration of U.S. president Joe Biden mentioned after widespread protests on the island in July of 2021 that it was working to make the web extra accessible to the folks of Cuba.

However on Wednesday a Justice Division-led panel mentioned a proposal earlier than the Federal Communications Fee (FCC) for a brand new undersea cable touchdown station to deal with web, voice and information site visitors posed “unacceptable dangers” to nationwide safety considerations and shouldn’t go ahead.

“That is the best way through which the federal government of america pretends to adjust to its declared dedication to advertise web use in Cuba, and its considerations for the well-being of the Cuban folks,” Cuba´s Vice International Minister De Cossio mentioned in a tweet reacting to the choice on Thursday.

Cuba has lengthy accused the U.S. of doublespeak, saying a Chilly Struggle-era embargo imposed by america on Cuba has didn’t upend Cuba´s authorities, and as a substitute, has solely induced struggling among the many Cuban folks.

The U.S. authorities lately has been scrutinizing undersea cable connections particularly involving China. Round 300 subsea cables kind the spine of the web, carrying 99% of the world’s information site visitors.

The prevailing ARCOS-1 submarine cable system connects america with 14 international locations within the Caribbean, Central America and South America and sought to increase to a touchdown station in Cojimar, Cuba. The system’s operator argues it might “improve the means via which Cubans on the island can talk with america and the remainder of the world.”