Biden Administration Slow-Walks Plans To Give Cubans Internet Access - Washington Free Beacon

The State Department is slow-walking plans to provide wireless internet access to Cuba as the country's communist government shuts down social media sites in response to pro-democracy protests.

Several American companies say they can quickly provide internet access to Cuba once they secure federal funding and approval. But multiple sources told the Washington Free Beacon that the State Department has yet to make those assurances, in part because some officials are worried about alienating the Cuban government. Lawmakers say this inaction is unnecessary and puts Cuban lives at stake.

"Cubans are being kidnapped and tortured by the regime, and they aren't able to broadcast this abuse to the world," Sen. Rick Scott (R., Fla.) told the Free Beacon. "The Biden administration must lead the international community in reconnecting the Cuban people to the world. The technology is there—this should already be done."

Protests erupted in Cuba this month in opposition to the country's communist dictatorship and its botched COVID response. The Cuban regime responded by arresting and imprisoning protesters in undisclosed locations and restricting citizens' already limited internet access. Though the internet blockade has made it hard for outside observers to monitor the situation, human rights groups have condemned the regime for abusing protesters.

One plan being shopped on Capitol Hill would use high-altitude balloons to beam internet access to Cuba. A similar program used balloons to provide internet access to Puerto Rico in the wake of a 2017 hurricane. Raven Aerostar, the South Dakota company that manufactured those balloons, told Senate staffers it could have balloons up and running in a matter of weeks. Policymakers have warmed to the proposal, which uses proven technology and would not require smuggling material into Cuba.