Residents of Zaza del Medio, in the municipality of Taguasco, Sancti Spíritus, along with Cubans living abroad, initiated a fundraising effort to install a photovoltaic system at the radio base of ETECSA that serves that community.
According to the campaign organizers, they raised 10,300 dollars and 26,000 Cuban pesos to purchase 30 solar panels and other necessary components for the system.
These amounts come from the promoters' publications on social media and were not detailed in the information released by the state media.
The collection included contributions sent via Zelle from abroad and in-person donations made at the town park.
Its aim was to reduce the interruptions in telephone and internet services caused by prolonged power outages.
The president of the Popular Council, Luis Orlando Gómez Castro, acknowledged before Radio Sancti Spíritus that the local government did not have the budget to finance an investment of that magnitude, which, moreover, belongs to a state-owned company known for its rates well above international standards and for providing one of the worst internet services in the world.
The official highlighted the participation of the community and the contributions made from abroad to restore communications in Zaza del Medio and other nearby rural areas.
The campaign also generated criticism. Some users questioned why residents and the diaspora had to fund equipment meant to support a service run and charged by a state-owned company.
Despite these concerns, the fundraising continued, driven mainly by the need to keep families connected during power outages.
The case highlights the inability of state institutions to finance the infrastructure necessary for the community.
It also presents a paradox: the neighbors financed the equipment that will keep the service operational, while ETECSA will continue to apply its usual rates.
Additionally, ETECSA has also been criticized for restricting communications during times of political tension.
After the protests of July 11, 2021, for example, NetBlocks documented interruptions and blocks of WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and some Telegram servers on networks operated by ETECSA.
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