The cybercafe manager explains to us that Cubans have been accessing for weeks.

Elianet Domas, Hotel Nacional cybercafé manager, told BBC Mundo that "for some time now Cubans have been coming to access the internet, mainly people who live close by in Vedado." 

She admits that "here the connection is a little more expensive because it is a five star hotel" but she adds that in other places it is cheaper: "There are hotels and communication centers where the hour costs 6 CUC (U$7)." 

"We sell them the card and they enter one of the booths with computers to navigate. They type the user's name and password and it’s ready. It’s the same as everywhere else", explains the young hotel employee.
 
She assured us there is no hotel censorship involved and asserted that from her workplace she cannot control the other computers. "I don't know what websites they visit neither do I know which pages they download. My only function is to give the clients the best possible service", she told BBC World. 

Very expensive prices 
 
 Any Cuban can buy a card and navigate the Internet in hotel cybercafes.

For the dissidence the end of the prohibition has had some negative consequences. The president of the Civil Society Assembly, Marta Beatriz Roque, informed BBC Mundo that the European embassies that gave them internet access stopped doing it. 

However, the thirty opponent blogs, headed by "The Y Generation" of Yoani Sanchez, benefited from this measure. In fact they manage their blogs using the hotel connections, as Yoani herself confirmed to BBC Mundo.
 
All Cubans interviewed agree in considering the price of the service excessive. Authorities blame it on the US blockade that prevents the use of submarine cables and forces Cuba to carry out all communications via satellite. 

They also blamed the USA for scarce band width. According to Havana, Washington exerts pressure on internet companies so that they limit the access they give to the island. Some companies even prevent Cuban cybernauts from using their services.
 
However, connection prices and band width could improve very soon. Next year Venezuela will join Cuba with a submarine cable and in Washington president Obama authorized communication companies to negotiate with Havana. 


Last Updated: Monday, October 5th, 2009 - 16:39 GMT

Cuba now authorizes open Internet access
Fernando Ravsberg
BBC Mundo, Havana

CubaNews translation by Giselle Gil.
Edited by Walter Lippmann.

Universities have computer rooms and some have internet access. 

Cuban authorities approved legal internet use for all citizens, as derives from a resolution signed by Commandant of the Revolution Ramiro Valdés, Computer Science and Communications Minister.
 
This resolution implies a change in government policy, which up to now had limited the net to social use, allowing access only to institutions, companies, and to a small group of little more than 100.000 people, mainly intellectuals and scientists. 

For some weeks Cubans had been authorized access to "Cybercafés" in hotels, where they can connect to internet, using the wireless system or WIFI, from their own computers or from those provided by the hotel.

However, it was in fact a measure that could change without notice. On the other hand, a ministerial resolution has legal force; it was even published in the Official Gazette of Cuba. 

It is the end of the State’s information monopoly. 

In post offices
Some post offices will have internet navigating rooms. 

The Minister resolved "authorizing the Cuban Post Office Company, as Access to Internet Service Supplier for the Public. It will provide this service to all people inside our national territory using its internet areas." 

They will use post offices to install computers so that any Cuban can navigate the net. Up to now a similar structure existed, but it only gave access to an intranet, with websites selected by the government. 

Brenda and Daimi, workers of a post office in Vedado, in Havana, confirmed to BBC World that 3 days ago they closed to create an internet room. However, it was reopened without finishing the installation. 

Apparently, not all post offices will be used during the first phase, explained to BBC World workers of the Computer science's Ministry. "One will be selected by municipality" and this service can be enlarged as necessary. 

Expensive service 
During this last decade, computer classes have been taught throughout the whole country. 

With this measure, the prohibition is eliminated. But, the government continues with its proposal of "social use" of the Internet, meaning it won't be possible to access the net from homes. This is because the country doesn't have enough band width for this. 

According to Cuban authorities, the United States has prevented internet companies from negotiating a larger internet access with Cuba. What’s more, all communications are more expensive since they have to be made via satellite because Washington doesn't allow the use of the submarine cable. 

Shortly all this could change. American president, Barack Obama, authorized telecommunications companies to negotiate with Havana and next year the installation of a telephone cable between Cuba and Venezuela will be finished. 

These new technological possibilities could reduce service prices, which today are extremely high. A one hour card in a hotel costs US$7 and full access from homes costs US$150 a month. 

End of the monopoly 
   
In this post office, works began but they didn't finish.  

For decades, the Cuban government maintained an information monopoly. However, in the last years, the propagation of satellite antennas and the sale of internet accesses, both of them illegal yet increasingly extended have diminished it.
 
Regarding internet access, there are tens of thousands of illegal accounts, directly negotiated between server workers and clients. They cost around US$50 a month and give full access. It’s the same service legal subscribers receive. 

Nobody can really know how many people have access to the net. But, it could be more than a million if we count those with authorized accounts, those with illegal ones and those who navigate - without permission – using institution accounts. 

Anyway, the Cuban government maintains filters to prevent access to the most radical anti-Castro pages, while allowing access to the whole world press, including the biggest

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/america_latina/2009/10/091005_cuba_navega_internet_mr.shtml