The Cuban Telecommunications Enterprise (ETECSA) once again defended the measures announced last May 30, amid a wave of criticism and complaints against them throughout the country and particularly at Cuban universities.
Although ETECSA officials assure they remain open to debate and maintain the promise of implementing a more affordable intermediate package than the prohibitive extra plans already in effect, this Wednesday they insisted on the need for the company to implement the unpopular rate increase.
During a new broadcast of the Mesa Redonda TV program dedicated to the current issue on the island, representatives of the state-owned monopoly reiterated the complex situation it faces, with an infrastructure with problems, a sharp drop in revenue and high debt, among other difficulties.
Faced with this critical scenario, and after evaluations, proposals, and discussions with the country’s “highest leadership level,” the enterprise finally decided to launch the new rates, its commercial vice president, Lidia Esther Hidalgo Rodríguez, explained.
“We developed alternatives and conducted an ongoing study to make sure there was no other way to recover the necessary financing. Costs are still present and high, and we are committed to continuing to transform and guarantee a level of access,” she stated.
Despite numerous criticisms of the restriction on national refills to just 360 pesos (CUP) in a month — with the exception so far for university students, who can double that amount — and the limited data offers that can be purchased with that money, Hidalgo Rodríguez maintained that this “guarantees access for all Cubans.”
“We reiterate that today they can access the internet with an average of 6GB per month, with no purchase limit. This way, the most vulnerable people we mentioned are covered with a base price of 360 pesos. With this amount, retirees and people receiving assistance can purchase the service,” she defended what has already been implemented.
She even went so far as to say that “it is not mandatory to purchase 6G or 360 pesos,” as “you can opt” for smaller packages. “Internet usage needs are very specific. Not everyone uses services in the same way or uses the same applications,” she explained.
Surfing in the early morning
In their public appearances this Wednesday, ETECSA executives also reiterated the promise made a few days ago about the upcoming launch of an intermediate package “to avoid having to purchase additional plans.”
Remember that the cheapest of these additional plans offers only 3GB for 360 CUP, a figure that is high for many pensions and salaries. Other extra plans are sold at higher prices, even over 11,000 pesos, while some are sold exclusively in dollars.
Representatives of the state monopoly also pondered the modification announced on Monday to extend the validity of the packages to 35 days, one of the measures changed in response to strong public outcry against the rate hike.
“Previously, everything was valid for 30 days. If a user purchased a plan on the same day of the refill, they couldn’t purchase another plan on the 31st day without refilling again. Now, with 30-day and 35-day plans, they can refill before the current plan expires, protecting unused data,” explained Arely González Fernández, director of Institutional Relations at ETECSA.
The official also specified that those with 500-peso refill coupons — which are no longer accepted as national refills are limited to only 360 CUP — can go to commercial offices to have the money directly deposited into their balances.
“There they hand over the coupon and refill the cell phone, but through the system. That way they don’t lose money,” she specified.
For her part, the enterprise’s commercial vice president advised people to connect in the early morning hours because at that time data rates are half as low and megabytes “go twice as far.” “At that time, you can download apps and videos more easily, because traffic is lower,” she noted.
According to Rodríguez Hidalgo, “this measure has been in place for a while, but we hadn’t given it much publicity.” She added, “it remains in place with the new regulations because it’s the time when the internet is in the best condition for these types of downloads.”
At universities and on the internet
While Cuban authorities, and particularly ETECSA executives, continue trying to weather the avalanche of criticism of the new rates and promising some adjustments, at universities, students continue their protests against the announced measures.
From social media statements against the rate hike on behalf of the student community to calls to stay home from classes until ETECSA reverses its implementation, protests have been taking place in recent days at various universities in Havana and other provinces.
The students — or at least some of them — who were granted the opportunity to purchase a second 360-CUP package by the enterprise and also promised improved connectivity at their schools, have not been content with these exclusive reliefs and are also demanding general improvements or a complete reversal of the measures.
Their arguments, which have even been reported in the foreign press, range from the relevance of the now-more expensive services for their studies and their own entertainment amid the crisis and problems on the island, to their opposition to the social inequalities fueled by the measure.
At the same time, authorities, university campuses and youth leaders, while praising the dialogue between student representatives and the state monopoly, have distanced themselves from calls to stay home from classes and assert that what is happening at the universities is being manipulated online and abroad as part of a media war against the Cuban government.
Meanwhile, new statements and other denials, such as fake news, are circulating online, along with support for the students from both inside and outside Cuba — from professors and intellectuals on the island, as well as from opposition activists and foreign politicians — as well as reports of internal pressure to abandon their demands and new calls for dialogue.
For now, ETECSA itself acknowledges that “there is a level of dissatisfaction and rejection” within and outside the universities, but asserts that the discussions with students and others “have been rich and have allowed us to receive proposals.”
“The process is ongoing, it has been arduous and it will continue,” González Fernández stated on the Mesa Redonda TV program, suggesting more official interventions and explanations and perhaps further modifications to what has already been announced.
