Breaking news: Internet out of Cubans' reach

In a previous post, we noted that only 2% of the Cuban population, or about 200,000 individuals, have any access at all to the World Wide Web. The individuals who make up that 2% (those that are not government employees, academics or researchers) circumvented the limitations imposed by the Cuban government by using hotel Internet services. 

But the percentage of Cuban Internet users has further declined in just the last few weeks. Hotel workers and bloggers attest that a new regulation quietly went into place during that time that now bars ordinary Cubans from using hotel Internet services. There has been no official announcement to the public, but Cuba’s telecommunications company ETECSA alerted hotels that Internet use would now only be for foreigners.

This certainly serves to undermine the claims made by Cuban officials that most Cubans cannot access the Internet because of the U.S. embargo. Obama essentially lifted the telecommunications embargo last month, and in response, Cuba now allows even fewer citizens access to the Internet.

One interpretation of the regulation: Cuban bloggers believe that the regime wants to force them into using the free services at the U.S. Interest Section and other embassies, in order to later flag them as mercenaries of foreign powers.

This interpretation is likely over-the-top, as there is too much international and regional attention on Cuba to allow such a gross violation. But officials are certainly trying to limit dissident communications, and to do so quietly and avoid reprimands from abroad.