The wave of protests against the Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA) continues to grow and gain momentum within the country's universities.
What began as an isolated critique has quickly transformed into a collective mobilization that challenges not only the recent tariff measures imposed by the state-owned company, but also the economic and political logic that underpins them.
This Tuesday, students from the Faculty of Philosophy, History, Sociology, and Social Work (FEU-FHS) at the University of Havana joined the protests with a strong statement expressing their "unwavering disagreement" with the new tariffs from ETECSA and their "absolute rejection" of mobile data packages for university students.
"The students of our faculty do not mobilize for sectoral privileges, but for social justice and the right of all Cuban citizens to access information, communication, work, education, and leisure," they assert.
The statement, signed by the FEU leadership of the faculty and dated June 3, accuses ETECSA of deliberately ignoring the social impact of its decisions, and demands a "horizontal and transparent exchange with the highest authorities of the country" to seek real solutions.
They also express solidarity with the positions of other faculties such as Communication, Psychology, and Mathematics and Computing, and support the indefinite teachers' strike called by the latter.
The document escalates the tone of demands by denouncing the ambiguity and inaction of ETECSA's executives, and by calling for the resignation of the national president of the FEU, Ricardo Rodríguez González, due to his “clear inability to represent the interests of the student body.”
"Our students choose not to rely on symbolic and non-binding commitments... they choose to engage, participate, and take action," they affirm.
This statement adds to a series of actions and announcements that have taken place since May 30, when ETECSA announced the limitation of national top-ups to 360 CUP per month (less than one dollar at the unofficial exchange rate) and the need to purchase additional packages in freely convertible currency (MLC), that is, in dollars.
The first public rejection of these measures occurred on May 31, when the National University Student Federation (FEU) issued a statement denouncing the lack of transparency in ETECSA's decisions and demanding a review of the new conditions imposed on students.
The statement acknowledged that "a fair and equitable national project cannot be built if access to the internet, an essential tool for study and personal development, is restricted."
The next day, June 1, the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Havana joined the criticisms with another statement in which they indicated that the new fees threatened access to knowledge, affected academic performance, and deepened inequality.
On June 2, the Faculty of Mathematics and Computing (MATCOM) took another step and formally called for a boycott of educational activities until the measures imposed by ETECSA are revoked.
In their statement, the students called for a profound rethinking of the telecommunications model and advocated for the need for universities to be actively involved in the decisions that affect their operations.
That same day, from the Technological University of Havana "José Antonio Echeverría" (CUJAE), the FEU and the UJC of that institution expressed their disagreement with the new packages. In their statement, they criticized the lack of technical rigor in ETECSA's justifications and denounced that the measures undermine essential principles of the socialist system.
Pressured by the growing backlash, ETECSA attempted on June 3 to ease tensions by announcing that it would allow students to purchase an additional second package of 6 GB for 360 CUP, bringing the total to 12 GB per month. It also assured that over 40 educational sites are already free of charge.
Nevertheless, Humanities students believe that these measures are insufficient and continue to demand a structural reevaluation.
In their statement, they denounce that the new rates do not combat fraud, as the company's executives claim, but instead create new forms of informality, illegality, and inequity. Furthermore, they warn about the risks of restricting access to international content and the danger of criminalizing student mobilization.
"The strengthening of free educational environments in universities is not a solution in itself, but rather a minimum and essential requirement," they state, emphasizing that access to the internet should not be seen as a privilege, but as a citizen's right.
The statement from the FEU of Humanities also emphasizes that the mobilization is autonomous, legitimate, and deeply political.
"We possess the political maturity and critical thinking skills necessary to organize ourselves, mobilize, and remain steadfast in our principles without yielding to the influence of external entities," they conclude.
Meanwhile, personalities such as the academic José Raúl Gallego have shown their support for the movement, calling for this example to spread throughout the entire island.
"Cuba is on fire, and the spark that marks the beginning of the end can come from anywhere. I hope the university regains the place it once had in the history of Cuba," he wrote on his social media.
The University of Havana, with its tradition of critical thought, once again positions itself at the center of national debate. This time, it does so with a generation that, from the classrooms, demands not only connectivity but also justice and genuine participation in the country's direction.
Full text of the Statement from the Faculty of Philosophy, History, Sociology, and Social Work
Federación Estudiantil Universitaria, Universidad de La Habana.
Facultad de Filosofía, Historia, Sociología y Trabajo Social (FEU-FHS)
La Habana, 3 de junio del 2025
Through this letter and following the meetings held today with senior executives from the Telecommunications Company of Cuba S.A. (ETECSA) and the University of Havana, the Student Federation of the Faculty of Philosophy, History, Sociology, and Social Work (FEU-FHS) reiterates its strong disapproval of the offers for mobile data access, calls, and messages announced on May 30 by ETECSA, and expresses its absolute rejection of the new mobile data packages for university students.
The students of our faculty do not mobilize for sectoral privileges, but for social justice and the right of all Cuban citizens to access information, communication, work, study, and leisure.
Today, a meeting took place between a representation of the faculties and executives from the University of Havana and executives from ETECSA. Given the ambiguity, constant justifications, inaction, and the inability to provide answers demonstrated by the ETECSA management, we demand a horizontal and transparent exchange with the highest authorities of the country to collectively articulate solutions to the severe political crisis that the country is facing, which exceeds the profitability framework of this company.
Today's meeting demonstrated that the profound unpopularity of ETECSA's new offerings is not due to poor communication, as its executives claim, but rather to the implementation of measures based solely on economic and technical rationality, completely ignoring their social impact on broad sectors of our citizenry. Therefore, through this medium, we express our solidarity with the concerns raised by our colleagues from the Faculty of Communication and the Faculty of Psychology, and we join the demand made by the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science (MATCOM) - which has legitimately called for a boycott of academic activities starting today - for the total revocation of the new measures imposed by ETECSA on May 30, or alternatively, the removal of the 360 CUP limit for monthly top-ups.
We condemn the conformist, passive, and uncritical attitude upheld by the president of the Faculty of Law and, furthermore, demand the immediate resignation of the National President of the University Student Federation, Ricardo Rodríguez González, due to his clear inability to represent the interests of the student body, to whom he currently owes his responsibility.
It is essential to emphasize that since the announcement of ETECSA's new offerings, the position of the students in our faculty has been one of dialogue and collective building, and this will continue as long as we consider that the necessary spaces and mechanisms for real participation and transformation are established. Nevertheless, we uphold the tradition of struggle and rebellion against injustice that characterizes Cuban youth and the University of Havana, along with its revolutionary spirit, which in no way contradicts the construction of a society that includes everyone and promotes the well-being of all.
For us, it is not enough to allocate spaces in ETECSA's data centers to host scientific journals; we demand full and free access to the data and research used to justify the new offerings in order to subject them to updates and theoretical and methodological review. Our students choose not to trust symbolic and non-binding commitments, as requested today by ETECSA's executives; they choose to get involved, participate, and take action. We demand accountability from the highest authorities of ETECSA and the country, and that they rise to the challenges of the current situation.
The new measures do not combat fraud as ETECSA executives have stated in various forums; rather, they create new dynamics of informality, illegality, and inequity. ETECSA, more than violating its contract, resorted to ambiguity to deliberately take advantage of a legal loophole it created. Even more serious than the breach of a contract is the violation of citizens' right to information, education, work, and leisure. Pressured by the unexpected mobilization of higher education students, the company was forced to rethink its rhetoric and measures, but extending the validity of mobile data packages to 35 days is still insufficient.
The strengthening of free educational environments in universities is not a solution in itself, but rather a minimum and indispensable requirement that should extend to many other social sectors, in addition to being one of the many outstanding responsibilities of the company.
We reject the restriction on access to internet content outside national platforms imposed by the new offerings, and we assert that the inefficiencies and economic imbalances of a company should never be resolved at the expense of the well-being and rights of citizens, especially in a society that seeks to build socialism.
We consider it a grave mistake to assume that critical thinking and political mobilization undermine the unity of the Cuban people or threaten the building of a better society; on the contrary, they are the pillars of a democratic society for all and for the good of all.
We denounce the external questioning of the autonomy of our actions; the collective of the Faculty of Philosophy, History, Sociology, and Social Work has acted, and will continue to act, marked by the popular and democratic participation of all its students, with the highest level of commitment and representation.
The students, professors, and administrators of our faculty have a clear understanding of our objectives and the means we consider legitimate to achieve them. We possess the political maturity and critical thinking ability necessary to organize ourselves, mobilize, and remain steadfast in our principles without succumbing to the influence of external entities.
Management of the FEU of the Faculty of Philosophy, History, Sociology, and Social Work
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