Obama eases U.S.-Cuba telecom restrictions

In a move to reach out the Cuban people, the White House on Monday announced a series of changes to U.S. policy toward Cuba, including the authorization of greater telecommunications links to the communist country.

"This will increase the means through which Cubans on the island can communicate with each other and with persons outside of Cuba," the White House said in a statement. "Cuban American connections to family in Cuba are not only a basic right in humanitarian terms, but also our best tool for helping to foster the beginnings of grassroots democracy on the island."

Under the new policy, U.S. telecommunications providers will be able to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications facilities linking the U.S. and Cuba, as well as license to enter into and operate under roaming service agreements with Cuba's telecommunications providers. Additionally, U.S. satellite radio and satellite television service providers will be able to obtain a license to provide services to customers in Cuba.

Persons under U.S. jurisdiction will be allowed to activate and pay U.S. or third-country service providers for telecommunications, satellite radio, or satellite TV services provided to individuals in Cuba, save for certain senior Communist Party and Cuban government officials. People will also, under a license exception, be able to export to Cuba communications devices such as mobile phone systems, computers, software, and satellite receivers.

The Obama administration's announcement continues the transition to more open communications between the United States and Cuba set in motion under the Bush administration. President Bush announced in 2008 that Americans could send cell phones to family members in Cuba. He also permitted faith-based organizations and nonprofit groups working with Cuba to provide computers and Internet access to the Cuban people.

Bush's actions came in response to Cuban President Raul Castro's decision to lift the ban prohibiting the use of cell phones by ordinary citizens in Cuba.

The change in policy could also make Cuba less reliant on Venezuela, another leftist country with icy U.S. relations. Even though it would have been more efficient to lay a new cable between Cuba and the U.S., Cuba in 2006 signed a deal with Venezuela to lay a new undersea fiber-optic cable between the two countries.

[solitare_pax]

Its about time - now how about reopening trade between the U.S. and Cuba to create new markets for American-Made goods to create jobs in America?

[jessiethe3rd]

you are living a dream... new jobs in america is a farce. New jobs in any other country are what the deal are. Besides, the Cuban market is small... having the market means very little - just means a good place to push more Gaps and McDonald's. Personally - I wish the Cuban market would stay closed - it's one of the last truly amazing societies.

[Commander_Spock]

Re: "[... how about reopening trade between the U.S. and Cuba to create new markets for American-Made goods to create jobs in America?...]"

Will this include some of those American GM, Ford and Chrysler Motor Cars.....

Cheers!

[biffhenerson]

Duh. It would create jobs in Cuba not the United States of America. Cuban labor rates are much lower. Oh yeah they might buy some U.S. products but there is one small problem. They have little money. Doing business with these 2nd or 3rd world countries hurts the U.S. We need to do more business with Germany, France, England, etc. as they are closer to being economically equal.

[ktswami]

["...between the United States and Cuba set in motion under the Bush administration.]

That was a joke, right, Stephanie...? Bush allowed Cuban-Americans to send down their 10-yr-old cell phones? Come on.

Nice to see someone waking up to the lunacy and hypocrisy of this stupid US policy. Does anyone realize that Fidel came to power BEFORE Pres. Obama was even born???

And we are allowed fly to Tehran, Damascus and Pyongyang, but NOT Havana to have a tasty mojito and listen to some mambo???

Land of the free, home of the brave.

[pentest]

Cuba is such a beautiful place(except the area around Gitmo), it wold be a shame to turn it into yet another Americanized tourist trap, like certain areas of Mexico.

Hopefully, for the Cubans, increased freedom won't mean being overrun by corporations such as walfart and mccrappers.

[chlimouj]

You neglected to mention that it was also President Bush who tightened restrictions on family members traveling to Cuba, so his record is conflicted, at best.

[scdecade]

That this appears to indicate a shift in policy towards liberalizing relations with Cuba is merely an unfortunate side-effect of what this really is about. US telecom companies are the modern spies of the US federal government. This article should be retitled "US to Use Telecom Co.'s to Spy on Cubans."

[biffhenerson]

Good idea.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Another thing that has been lifted is the economic restrictions of sending money to Cuba. Now you can send unlimited / unregulated / unmonitored amounts of cash to Cuba for 'family support'.

Drug lords are loving this new change in the Obama administration policy. No more need to launder money at all- just send it normally. This alone can really help with drug sales in the US. Perhaps not the result that the US government had intended, but that is the harsh reality of the results of this change.

[gantrants]

I think you have to view this as a step in the right direction, a baby one, but a step. I think the Obama administration will continue down the path of loosening restrictions on Cuba and hopefully someday will reopen trade. I saw some good perspectives: http://www.newsy.com/videos/big_change_for_cubans_not_enough_for_critics/ and I think it's good that at least the discussion has started.

[DonJuan4565]

I think these changes affect us all mostly in a positive way. Do you have an idea of how much it costs to call Cuba from the US, it's about 1 dollar/minute, because of this, I only can call my mom for example once a month, I don't know you guys but that's just not fair. If telecom expands to Cuba, it's gonna make a huge difference for the cuban people here in the US, like me. Now I can go and see my mom whenever the hell I want ( It has been 2 and a half years since the last time I saw her ), before these changes took effect I had to wait THREE years to visit my island. In some comments up there, where are the regular human feelings and rights? What the hell is wrong with you people? Let's just look at the bright side in all this.