Cuban Government Sees IT As “A Weapon For The Defense Of The Revolution”

Cuban Government Sees IT As "A Weapon For The Defense Of The Revolution"
/ 14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez

14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez, Havana, 3 March 2017 — The role of
information technology as a "weapon for the defense of the Revolution"
has grabbed the attention of the latest meeting of the Council of
Ministers, held several weeks late this Tuesday in the Palace of the
Revolution and headed by President Raul Castro.

During the meeting, policies were approved for the improvement of the
system of standardization, measurement, quality and accreditation, as
well as fishing and food safety. But the leading role was taken by
Information and Communication Technologies, whose shortcomings were
expressed by General Leonardo Andollo Valdés, who is in charge of the
Commission for the Implementation and Development of Improvement of the
Economic and Social Model.

The military man stressed that "different actions have been undertaken
for the regulation of computerization in the country, however, a
comprehensive policy is required." He called for the creation of content
aimed at "strengthening the identity and preserving the values ​​of
Cuban society."

At a time when new technologies are gaining a presence among the
population, the Government is still cautious about defining protocols
for computerizing activities of daily life. Doing legal paperwork on the
internet, or reserving a ticket, or taking money out of an ATM, are all
tasks that continue to be surrounded by complexities.

Andollo said that conditions will be created to facilitate both
communication between government institutions and procedures for the
population. Citizens have insisted on the need for these improvements,
since it is not comprehensible that in such a centralized state, many
procedures must be pursued separately with each entity.

On the other hand, while official reluctance remains, alternative
distribution networks have a wide assortment of devices, content and
"tricks" – such as NanoStations, Bullets, Rockets or Routers – to take
advantage of global developments in technology. On the streets of Cuba,
the most sophisticated smartphones coexist with the stories of those who
still haven't been able to afford their first cellphone.

The ministers met the day before the announcement of the prices of Nauta
Home, a service that provides Internet browsing from homes. After a
pilot test that included 2,000 homes in Havana's historic center, the
Telecommunications Company (ETECSA) announced the fees for the service,
which range from 15 to 115 Convertible Cuban pesos (CUC) for 30 hours of
connection. The available speeds start at 128 kilobytes and range up to
2 megabytes.

Source: Cuban Government Sees IT As "A Weapon For The Defense Of The
Revolution" / 14ymedio, Marcelo Hernandez – Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/cuban-government-sees-it-as-a-weapon-for-the-defense-of-the-revolution-14ymedio-marcelo-hernandez/