Vice President of UPEC criticizes complaints about ETECSA's new prices: "They want everything about the Internet to be subsidized."

The Vice President of the Union of Journalists of Cuba (UPEC), Francisco Rodríguez Cruz, better known as Paquito de Cuba, criticized the citizen complaints regarding the recent decision by ETECSA to limit the top-ups in Cuban pesos (CUP) to 360 monthly and to offer mobile data plans only in United States dollars (USD).

In his Facebook profile, Paquito wrote: "They pay for their hotels, private restaurants, and even expensive cigars, but they want ETECSA to subsidize all their Internet."

As if that weren't enough, the official also lashed out at "those who defend socialism only when it suits them," referring to those who have denounced the company’s measure aimed at raising dollars through top-ups.

To conclude, justifying the decision to restrict plans in national currency, he stated: "They keep saying that we must respect market laws, but when there's no other choice but to apply them, ETECSA is the bad guy."

Hundreds of internet users condemned the opinions expressed by Paco, who compares luxuries like hotels to a basic service like communications.

"Paquito, I have never paid for a hotel, nor have I gone to a restaurant, I don't smoke, and my salary is 4,410 pesos. I also work from home using mobile data," wrote a Cuban.

Another response was that the vast majority of the Cuban people "working class, ordinary people, do not pay anything for what you mentioned." "Even less so, none of that can be compared to the need and urgency that the use of the internet represents in this century. Please, we cannot be so complacent in the face of what is poorly done."

Someone else emphasized: "I believe that private hotels and restaurants are a luxury that some can afford, but services like water, electricity, gas, and communications should correspond to the salary we earn."

Francisco Rodríguez Cruz, who has previously served as a spokesperson for the regime, has made headlines by asking his friends in exile for phone top-ups.

Years ago, he also participated in a competition organized by our editorial team in which he won a recharge of 400 CUC for a touching photo featuring his son and his partner.

Since then, Mariela Castro's and Lis Cuesta's friend and member of the PCC has not stopped defending the regime.

Like Paco, other supporters of the Cuban government argue that ETECSA's plan only aims to prevent the internet in Cuba from "collapsing" and add absurd reasons that do not justify the move.

One step closer to dollarization

The recent decision by ETECSA to limit mobile top-ups in Cuban pesos (CUP) to 360 per month and to offer mobile data plans only in U.S. dollars (USD) has led users on social media to express their frustration at what they consider a mass exclusion of millions of citizens who do not have access to foreign currency.

A young woman compared the situation of mobile data to the scarcity of bread in stores. "Even if you want more, you only get one a month. And this time there’s nowhere else to buy bread. Because ETECSA is the only one."

The measure is one more step in the dollarization of the Cuban economy, where essential services, such as internet access, are becoming privileges for those who receive remittances or have access to dollars.

ETECSA's official justification for these new restrictions is the need to "sustain and develop the network." However, many consider this excuse a mockery, as service deficiencies, data outages, and exorbitant prices have been constant for years.

Frequently Asked Questions about ETECSA's New Internet Rates in Cuba