The Cuban opponent Antonio Rodiles publicly reiterated why there is no political will to provide free internet to Cuba, in an interview with journalist Tania Costa, and denounced that there isn't even an official declaration that it will be done.
Rodiles has been advocating for free connectivity for Cubans since 2018, and he points out that the July 11, 2021, demonstrated the fundamental role of the internet in a massive protest process: "The importance of people being able to be connected in real-time and knowing what is happening from one end of the island to the other, how the regime is behaving, how many are in the streets."
The opposition figure rejects the argument that authorization from the regime or special receivers on the island is needed. "Of course not, Tania, of course not, because there are many people who say no, a receiver on the island is needed, antennas, receivers. No, sir," he stated.
Rodiles suggests using drones, balloons, or airships that fly in international airspace, at about 20 kilometers in altitude, to replicate the signal. "International airspace is around 20 kilometers, which means we could have these elements flying and replicating the internet signal, and people could simply be picking up that signal with their phones," he explained.
Regarding why the regime would never accept free internet, Rodiles was direct: “It’s like putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger, because they know it's not the same to control 10,000, 15,000, or 20,000 people than suddenly having a million people in the streets across Cuba.”
The opposition member recalled that the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, mentioned in a press conference that a company estimated the installation of the service at approximately 25 million dollars, but that the company backed out when the Biden administration revoked its license.
Rodiles also recalled a press conference held by Cuban-American congress members at the Museum of the 2506 Brigade in Hialeah Gardens, where they threatened to take matters into their own hands if the government did not provide internet access to Cuba, a warning that ultimately went unheeded.
What stands out the most to him, he said, is not just that it has not been implemented, but the "total silence." He directly points to the lack of political will: "Why is there a reluctance to allow the Cuban people to take a leading role and be subjects not only supposedly of a process of change, but right now of overthrowing the tyranny?"
Regarding the available resources, Rodiles pointed out that Radio y TV Martí operates with about 30 million dollars annually, and that Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart has announced increases in the budgets for promoting democracy, which would make it feasible to fund internet services. The Cuban regime has already rejected the Starlink offer presented by the Trump administration in April, and state media acknowledged that it would represent a "parallel and uncontrollable" network for the State.
Rodiles concluded with a personal denunciation: when the organized opposition within Cuba needed support, it received campaigns of discredit. "The regime even told a colleague at one point: we are not going to get dirty with Rodiles because Rodiles is being taken out from the outside. To that point," he revealed, indicating that individuals and institutions in exile may have preferred to weaken the internal opposition rather than strengthen it.
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