DeSantis urges Biden to provide Cubans with access to internet
Ailan Evans, DCNF
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote a letter Wednesday calling for the Biden administration to provide internet services to Cuba after President Miguel Díaz-Canel shut off access.
DeSantis’s letter called for the Biden administration to encourage American businesses to provide remote internet access to Cubans following the Cuban government’s shutdown of the internet amid widespread protests.
“I urge you to act immediately to provide all necessary authorizations, indemnifications, and funding to American businesses with the capability to provide Internet access for the people of Cuba,” DeSantis wrote in the letter.
I urge President Biden to assist in providing internet access to the people of Cuba standing up against communist oppression and demanding a voice after decades of suffering under a cruel dictatorship.https://t.co/fjSKNxuchW pic.twitter.com/br4iPHZ4k1
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) July 14, 2021
“Technology exists to provide Internet access into Cuba remotely, using the innovation of American enterprise and the diverse industries here,” DeSantis wrote.
Access to the internet for Cubans began returning Wednesday, according to The Washington Post, revealing the extent of the government’s crackdown on protesters. DeSantis said restoration of internet access would allow Cubans to broadcast “images and videos” of their protests against the government.
“The Cuban people have lost their ability to communicate with one another, and many Floridians born in Cuba have no information on the safety of their loved ones,” DeSantis wrote in the letter. “Equally as important, the world has also lost the ability to see what is happening on the ground as the Cuban people rise in support of freedom.”
DeSantis pointed to the United States’ history of broadcasting information by radio into Cuba during the Cold War as an example of the initiative he proposed.
“Internet access for the Cuban people is of critical importance as they stand up against the repressive Communist government,” DeSantis wrote. “In the hands of these brave individuals, such access may be the key to finally bringing democracy to the island.”
