Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

FCC Commissioner Says Federal Government Can Get Internet to Cubans

Photo by Franck/Unsplash
Photo by Franck/Unsplash
Share Tweet
By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor

July 19, 2021

The head of the Federal Communications Commission said last week the U.S. government can get much-needed internet access to Cuba after the country’s communist regime throttled citizens’ access.

There’s one big hurdle, though: The agency needs President Joe Biden’s approval.

LISTEN TO TODAY’S PODCAST:

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr told The Washington Free Beacon there is “an urgent need right now” for internet access amid ongoing freedom protests in Havana and other cities across the country.

“I would say the goal is not universal coverage with speeds that would allow you to download Netflix,” he said. “The question is how do we create the opportunity to continue to share videos and photos?”

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

As protests broke out across Cuba last week, the repressive, communist government restricted citizens’ access to platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp, according to Reuters. There have also been regular mobile internet outages in Havana, where much of the protesting has taken place.

Videos and photos of the demonstrations have been shared to social media when possible, often alongside the hashtag #SOSCuba.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida — which boasts a sizable Cuban population — has urged Biden “to assist in providing internet access to the people of Cuba standing up against communist oppression and demanding a voice after decades of suffering under a cruel dictatorship.”

I urge President Biden to assist in providing internet access to the people of Cuba standing up against communist oppression and demanding a voice after decades of suffering under a cruel dictatorship.https://t.co/fjSKNxuchW pic.twitter.com/br4iPHZ4k1

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) July 14, 2021

In a statement of his own, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called on Biden “to facilitate open and free internet for the people of Cuba.”

“Without it, the Cuban people, who yearn for basic political and economic freedoms, can more easily be monitoried, suppressed, detained, and brutalized by the regime without accountability,” he explained. “Bringing free and open internet will help the Cuban people communicate with one another without censorship and repression and show them that the world stands beside them in their quest for liberty.”

How would it work?

Carr told The Beacon the federal government could use a sidelined Google initiative called Project Loon, which utilizes high-altitude balloons to provide internet access to those in the affected area.

The large balloons, able to hover miles above the earth’s surface in international airspace, would mimic cell towers, floating for around 100 days above airplanes and clouds.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Carr said the U.S. needs to meet the urgent need to show its support to protesters and also deploy this kind of technology “to bolster attempts to circumvent the blocking technology” utilized by the Cuban regime.

Going forward, he explained, the ballon tech would help citizens of repressive governments communicate with the outside world.

Biden, for his part, said during a press conference last Thursday that his administration is aware of the internet restrictions Cubans are facing and is “considering whether we have the technology to reinstate that access.”

Latest

  • Faith

    He Died and Visited Heaven? 20 Years Later, Colton Burpo Revisits Claims He Met Jesus

  • Life

    Pregnancy Center Leader Reveals ‘Violent Attacks,’ Chaos as She Fact Checks ‘Fake Clinics’ Myths

  • Faith

    As Robert Morris Case Continues, How Should Christians Interpret Such Scandals?

  • News

    Joe Rogan Stuns With Skepticism of Big Bang, Proclamation About Jesus’ Resurrection

  • culture

    Humans Give Off Light That Extinguishes at Death, New Study Reveals


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent Posts

  • He Died and Visited Heaven? 20 Years Later, Colton Burpo Revisits Claims He Met Jesus
  • Pregnancy Center Leader Reveals ‘Violent Attacks,’ Chaos as She Fact Checks ‘Fake Clinics’ Myths
  • As Robert Morris Case Continues, How Should Christians Interpret Such Scandals?
  • Joe Rogan Stuns With Skepticism of Big Bang, Proclamation About Jesus’ Resurrection
  • Humans Give Off Light That Extinguishes at Death, New Study Reveals

Archives

  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • Culture
  • culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.