Bridging Cuba's Communication Divide: How U.S. Policy Can Help

• Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director for Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution
• Christopher Sabatini, Senior Director of Policy, Americas Society and Council of the Americas
• Carlos A. Saladrigas, Co-Chairman, Cuba Study Group and Chairman & CEO, Regis HR Group

Summary

On July 15, 2010, Americas Society and Council of the Americas, in conjunction with the Brookings Institution, held a panel discussion to present the findings of the Cuba Study Group’s white paper Empowering the Cuban People through Technology: Recommendations for Private and Public Sector Leaders. The discussion, hosted by the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., explored the necessary measures the U.S. government can take to improve regulations restricting telecom investments in Cuba, building on directives given by President Barack Obama in April 2009. The report’s recommendations urge expanding the permitted scope of investments so that the U.S. telecommunications industry to help bridge Cuba’s access-to-information gap.

Cuba’s Lack of Information Access

In his opening remarks, Brookings’ Ted Piccone described Cuba’s lack of access to information technology and the Internet. Trapped under an authoritarian regime, Cubans remain one of the most isolated populations in the world in terms of access to information. Cuba has the lowest level of Internet penetration in the Western Hemisphere—only 6.2 percent of citizens own personal computers and just 10.6 percent have access to fixed-line telephones. At a time when the world’s poorest countries are benefiting from mobile phone technology, draconian import/export restrictions have driven up the cost of cell phones out of most Cubans’ price range. These immense impediments make information coming in and out of Cuba extremely difficult to access. However, the efforts of bloggers such as Yoani Sánchez, as well as the advent of cellular technology, are helping to keep the world aware of current events in Cuba, such as Guillermo Fariñas’ hunger strike and the continued incarceration of USAID contractor Alan Gross.

The Need to Open Markets

The Cuba Study Group’s Carlos Salarigas discussed authoritarian regimes’ need to balance media restrictions with the demand to integrate technology to remain competitive in the global economy, adding that technology is no longer seen as a byproduct of economic development, but as a prerequisite. Advocating broadly lifting all restrictions so as to provide an enabling business climate in Cuba, he stressed the need to forego current U.S. “micromanagement,” allowing markets to flourish by “getting out of the way.”

Easing Restrictions

AS/COA’s Christopher Sabatini provided a blunt comparison between restrictions placed on Cuban telecommunications and those placed on other totalitarian regimes, such as Burma, Iran, and Syria--the last two officially designated as state sponsors of terrorism. Under current law, non-sanctioned citizens and NGOs are permitted to import basic communications technology into these countries. However, U.S. sanctions currently prohibit any investment in Cuban telecommunications infrastructure. Although the private sector actively seeks engagement in the country, U.S. restrictions and technicalities have “dampened” their enthusiasm to establish telecommunication services. Additional efforts must be made by the United States to remove these barriers to implementation.

Sabatini applauded President Obama’s 2009 regulatory changes, but was wary of their implementation against the backdrop of other restrictions. The president can and should take the initiative to use vested executive powers to manage the situation, rather than relying on the legislative branch to do so. Sabatini framed the issue as a question of political will, similar to ex-President Bill Clinton’s decision to expand markets’ access to Cuba during his tenure. While unable to predict the reaction of the Cuban government, the United States must make every effort to prevent impediments on our side.

Conclusion

The panelists agreed on the need for a shift in U.S. thinking, calling for an end to the current “zero-sum game.” The U.S. government must face the reality that the outcome of easing restrictions may have tangible benefits for the Cuban government in the form of economic profits. The panel reached the conclusion that the benefits gained from empowering the Cuban people through access to technology outweigh any marginal gains that the Castro government may win as a result.