US Senate approved amendment calling for free internet access in Cuba

The United States Senate approved an amendment calling on the government of President Joe Biden facilitate free internet access in Cuba with the creation of a fund that allows this service “open and uncensored”.

The amendment was approved during the marathon of votes which took place in the hemicycle before the approval, early Wednesday morning, of the budget initiative presented by the Democrats in the amount of $ 3.5 trillion.

The amendment was introduced by Florida Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, and requests for the establishment of a Reserve fund To “facilitate the provision of internet service to citizens of Cuba, who have been deprived of the free flow of information by the illegitimate Cuban Communist regime”.

More precisely, said amendment -3097- to the budgetary plan requires that the administration of US President Joe Biden “facilitate free, open and uncensored access to the Internet for the Cuban peopleAccording to a statement posted on Rubio’s website.

This senator, of Cuban origin, recalled that he had stressed the importance of Internet access for Cubans “since the start of the historic demonstrations a month ago”.

“The regime’s crackdown clearly shows the need to act now, ”he said. Fortunately, the technology exists to provide connectivity“said Rubio.

Scott considered in the same note that “the time for President Biden to review his policy towards Cuba is over.”

“We must take immediate steps to implement all the technology to facilitate the free flow of information to and from the island, and amplify the voice of the Cuban people in approving this amendment.“, he underlined.

After the approval last night of the amendment and the budgetary initiative as a whole, the text must pass the approval of the lower house of the United States.

At the end of last month, Biden administration announced more sanctions against Cuban dictatorship, this time to the Revolutionary National Police (PNR) and two of its leaders, after the July 11 protests, but internet actions and sending funds to the island were suspended.

Before the sanctions were announced, Biden stressed that his government was assessing “all options available“To facilitate Internet access for the Cuban people and help them to ‘circumvent’ censorship.

Although during his election campaign Biden promised to return to the thaw with Cuba and to cancel many of the sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), his calculations appear to have changed since taking office. .

After the July protests on the island, which garnered strong support from Cuban exiles in the key state of Florida, the White House is unwilling to take any action that could be interpreted as a concession to the Cuban regime.

(With information from EFE)

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