Hello? Hello?

Hello? Hello? / Yoani Sanchez
Posted on March 13, 2015

Generation Y, Yoani Sanchez, 13 March 2015 – She dialed the number and
waited. Nothing, not a ring, not even a busy signal. She tried again and
then got a woman's voice telling her to wait on the line. After several
minutes she realized it was a scam, but she'd already lost half the
value of her prepaid card. Finally, she was able to connect, but her
mother's voice sounded as if she was speaking under water and she was
barely able to say she was fine and that she missed her. The line was
cut and her call to Cuba ended.

Among the many dramas that play out because of emigration, in the case
of Cuba we have to add the complications of communicating with Island.
We have the most expensive rates in the world for those who want to
communicate with us, only comparable to countries at war or nations
collapsed by some conflict. Cuban exiles have spent billions over these
more than fifty years to talk to their families in their native land,
resources subtracted from the hard work of opening a path to a new reality.

Thus, the announcement of a direct connection between Cuba and the
United States for voice calls has been received with hope, a sign that
such telephonic absurdity may soon end. The signing of the agreement
between the US-based IDT Domestic Telecom Corporation and our national
monopoly ETECSA opens the door to other possible understandings in this
important area. It is a first step whose effect is still barely noticed,
but which is undoubtedly good news for those living with affections
fragmented by the Florida Straits.

The agreement between ETECSA and IDT is undoubtedly good news for those
living with affections fragmented by the Florida Straits

In Cuba, expectations are focused not only on being able to call the
United States directly without having to go through third countries.
Eyes also shine when people imagine that they might be able to access
the Internet via this pathway. A data connection managed by American
companies but accessible from the Island has become the most widespread
desire for those who don't want to wait another year to enter cyberspace.

However, this possibility has not yet been mentioned by ETECSA which,
like any company that responds not to commercial interests but rather to
ideological ones, prefers to prolong censorship over the Internet to
earn money. But that's just for now. Still and all, it is a relief that
very soon Cuban exiles and emigrants living in the United States well
see a reduction in the stumbling blocks to communications with their
relatives in Cuba. Picking up the phone, dialing a Cuban number and
waiting for a line will not continue to be an adventure with
unpredictable results.

Source: Hello? Hello? / Yoani Sanchez | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/hello-hello-yoani-sanchez/