Etecsa: Neighbors of Sancti Spíritus donate more than 10,000 dollars to Etecsa

Sancti Spíritus/Given the lack of internet connection, a group of neighbors raised 10,300 dollars and 26,000 Cuban pesos to buy solar panels and the rest of the photovoltaic kit intended to power the local radio base of the state company Etecsa, in the town of Zaza del Medio, in the Sancti Spiritus municipality of Taguasco. The blackouts kept residents incommunicado almost all the time, since the electricity only returned for a couple of hours between cuts that could last more than a day.

According to residents, the initiative had detractors, who questioned that it was the residents themselves who had to finance a state company known for its abusive prices, poor quality of service and its role in state control of the internet. Even so, they raised the money to regain connection, especially to be able to communicate with their relatives abroad.

The official press, however, when reporting on the installation of the photovoltaic system in the radio base of the town in Sancti Spiritus, avoids explaining that the initiative came from the neighbors themselves. The most that he comes to recognize is that “through a call made by different means, all the financial support was raised to obtain the solar panels,” as he declared to Radio Sancti Spíritus the president of the Popular Council, Luis Orlando Gómez Castro.

The official also admitted that a good part of the financing came from relatives abroad: “Highlight those who, even from abroad, still with Cuban blood, have contributed to that monetary situation that was needed to reestablish communication in Zaza del Medio.”

“Highlight those who, even from abroad, with Cuban blood still, have contributed to that monetary situation that was needed to restore communication in Zaza del Medio”

The state media admits that the local government did not have the budget to finance “such an expensive investment,” and although it highlights “the importance of popular participation to achieve the necessary financing,” it omits to explain the origin of the initiative and how much money the clients of a company contributed that will continue to charge them rates well above international standards, for one of the worst internet services in the world.

Etecsa, the only telecommunications operator in Cuba, maintains the monopoly of telephone and internet on the Island and is under control of the military conglomerate Gaesa. The company has been the subject of constant criticism for the poor quality of its services, its high rates and its role in censorship and content filtering, being subordinated to the priorities of the regime and not to the needs of its clients. Numerous independent media websites and organizations critical of the Government remain blocked from its network, which users in Cuba can only access via VPN.

In times of particular political tension, the company has carried out government orders to restrict internet access and block communications, as occurred during the massive protests of July 11, 2021, as well as selectively blocking telephone lines of activists and opponents.