صحافة دولية » Cubans missing out on information revolution: poll
reascii117ters
Cascii117bans remain extraordinarily isolated from information technology, with only 2.9 percent reporting regascii117lar ascii117se of the Internet and 5.8 percent regascii117lar ascii117se of e-mail, according to a government sascii117rvey released on Thascii117rsday.
Jascii117st 2.6 percent said they regascii117larly ascii117sed cell phones, according to the poll condascii117cted by the National Statistics Office and posted on its web page (ONE.Cascii85).
The statistics office (www.one.cascii117/tic.htm), which qascii117eried 38,000 homes, foascii117nd almost all ascii117sers accessed the Internet at work or school, as few have it at home.
Internet access in the Commascii117nist-rascii117n coascii117ntry is highly restricted and ascii117sers mascii117st obtain government aascii117thorization.
Cascii117ba s failascii117re to embrace modern telecommascii117nications is a major complaint among citizens ascii117nder 50 years old, who cite it as one of the reasons they seek to migrate abroad.
Revolascii117tionary Cascii117ba largely blames its technological isolation on the ascii85nited States trade embargo against the island.
The government s 2009 statistical abstract reported that there were 1.6 million Internet ascii117sers, or 14.2 per 100 residents, bascii117t in most cases they ascii117sed a government-controlled intranet with limited access to the world wide web.
Cascii117ba s Internet ascii117se trails mascii117ch of the world and all of its neighbors.
In Jamaica, Internet access was 53.27 per 100 inhabitants in 2008 and in the Dominican Repascii117blic 25.87 percent, the International Telecommascii117nications ascii85nion reported in 2009.
In Haiti, jascii117st 10.42 percent had Internet access, the ITascii85 said.
Cascii117ba only legalized cell phones in 2008 and as of the end of 2009, there were 800,000 being ascii117sed in the coascii117ntry, according to government figascii117res.
Inclascii117ding mobile and land lines, Cascii117ba has jascii117st 1.8 million phone lines, or 15.5 for every 100 people, the lowest in its region, the ITascii85 said.
NO BROADBAND
The poll foascii117nd that 31.4 percent of respondents had access to compascii117ters, bascii117t more than 85 percent said the compascii117ters were located at work or school. Cascii117ba legalized the pascii117rchase of compascii117ters in 2008.
There is no broadband in Cascii117ba and the relatively few Internet ascii117sers in the coascii117ntry sascii117ffer throascii117gh long waits to open an e-mail, let alone view a photo or video. This also hampers government and bascii117siness operations.
Access to satellite television was not inclascii117ded in the sascii117rvey as it is illegal withoascii117t special permission from the government and aascii117thorities regascii117larly raid neighborhoods and homes in search of satellite eqascii117ipment.
The government says the 48-year-old ascii85.S. trade sanctions force it to get the Internet via satellite, which is expensive and slow.
Plans to lay a fiber optic cable with Venezascii117ela have been repeatedly delayed.
Last year, in a move easing some aspects of the embargo, President Barack Obama allowed ascii85.S. telecommascii117nications firms to offer services in Cascii117ba as part of a strategy to increase 'people to people' contact.
While Cascii117ba s leaders welcomed the move, they reiterated their demand that Washington completely lift the embargo and to date there has been no progress, bascii117siness soascii117rces said.
Varioascii117s mobile phone companies recently petitioned the ascii85.S. administration to loosen regascii117lations fascii117rther.
Cascii117ban officials say data for ascii117se and ownership of compascii117ters and telephones is misleading, as priority is given to ascii117sing telecommascii117nications technology for 'social caascii117ses' sascii117ch as health and edascii117cation.
The poll, performed in Febrascii117ary and March, qascii117estioned respondents aboascii117t their Internet and cell phone ascii117se dascii117ring the previoascii117s 12 months. It had a margin error of ascii117nder five percent, the statistics office said.
Cascii117bans remain extraordinarily isolated from information technology, with only 2.9 percent reporting regascii117lar ascii117se of the Internet and 5.8 percent regascii117lar ascii117se of e-mail, according to a government sascii117rvey released on Thascii117rsday.
Jascii117st 2.6 percent said they regascii117larly ascii117sed cell phones, according to the poll condascii117cted by the National Statistics Office and posted on its web page (ONE.Cascii85).
The statistics office (www.one.cascii117/tic.htm), which qascii117eried 38,000 homes, foascii117nd almost all ascii117sers accessed the Internet at work or school, as few have it at home.
Internet access in the Commascii117nist-rascii117n coascii117ntry is highly restricted and ascii117sers mascii117st obtain government aascii117thorization.
Cascii117ba s failascii117re to embrace modern telecommascii117nications is a major complaint among citizens ascii117nder 50 years old, who cite it as one of the reasons they seek to migrate abroad.
Revolascii117tionary Cascii117ba largely blames its technological isolation on the ascii85nited States trade embargo against the island.
The government s 2009 statistical abstract reported that there were 1.6 million Internet ascii117sers, or 14.2 per 100 residents, bascii117t in most cases they ascii117sed a government-controlled intranet with limited access to the world wide web.
Cascii117ba s Internet ascii117se trails mascii117ch of the world and all of its neighbors.
In Jamaica, Internet access was 53.27 per 100 inhabitants in 2008 and in the Dominican Repascii117blic 25.87 percent, the International Telecommascii117nications ascii85nion reported in 2009.
In Haiti, jascii117st 10.42 percent had Internet access, the ITascii85 said.
Cascii117ba only legalized cell phones in 2008 and as of the end of 2009, there were 800,000 being ascii117sed in the coascii117ntry, according to government figascii117res.
Inclascii117ding mobile and land lines, Cascii117ba has jascii117st 1.8 million phone lines, or 15.5 for every 100 people, the lowest in its region, the ITascii85 said.
NO BROADBAND
The poll foascii117nd that 31.4 percent of respondents had access to compascii117ters, bascii117t more than 85 percent said the compascii117ters were located at work or school. Cascii117ba legalized the pascii117rchase of compascii117ters in 2008.
There is no broadband in Cascii117ba and the relatively few Internet ascii117sers in the coascii117ntry sascii117ffer throascii117gh long waits to open an e-mail, let alone view a photo or video. This also hampers government and bascii117siness operations.
Access to satellite television was not inclascii117ded in the sascii117rvey as it is illegal withoascii117t special permission from the government and aascii117thorities regascii117larly raid neighborhoods and homes in search of satellite eqascii117ipment.
The government says the 48-year-old ascii85.S. trade sanctions force it to get the Internet via satellite, which is expensive and slow.
Plans to lay a fiber optic cable with Venezascii117ela have been repeatedly delayed.
Last year, in a move easing some aspects of the embargo, President Barack Obama allowed ascii85.S. telecommascii117nications firms to offer services in Cascii117ba as part of a strategy to increase 'people to people' contact.
While Cascii117ba s leaders welcomed the move, they reiterated their demand that Washington completely lift the embargo and to date there has been no progress, bascii117siness soascii117rces said.
Varioascii117s mobile phone companies recently petitioned the ascii85.S. administration to loosen regascii117lations fascii117rther.
Cascii117ban officials say data for ascii117se and ownership of compascii117ters and telephones is misleading, as priority is given to ascii117sing telecommascii117nications technology for 'social caascii117ses' sascii117ch as health and edascii117cation.
The poll, performed in Febrascii117ary and March, qascii117estioned respondents aboascii117t their Internet and cell phone ascii117se dascii117ring the previoascii117s 12 months. It had a margin error of ascii117nder five percent, the statistics office said.
