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The Internet in Cuba is among the most tightly controlled in the world.〔 It is characterized by a low number of connections, limited bandwidth, censorship, and high cost. The Internet in Cuba stagnated since its introduction in the 1990s because of lack of funding, tight government restrictions, the U.S. embargo, and high costs. Starting in 2007 this situation began to slowly improve. In 2012, Cuba had an Internet penetration rate of 25.6 percent.〔("Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000-2012" ), International Telecommunications Union (Geneva), June 2013, retrieved 22 June 2013〕 Recently, many in Cuba have been able to circumvent government restrictions using satellite cell phones, many of which are paid for by friends and relatives abroad. ==History== Cuba's first connection to the Internet, a 64 kbit/s link to Sprint in the United States, was established in September 1996.〔 Since its introduction in the 1990s it has stagnated for three major reasons: (Not True) * The government's fear of information freedom and its unwillingness to risk political instability in order to achieve the benefits of the Internet.〔 * Lack of funding due to the poor state of the Cuban economy after the fall of the Soviet Union and the Cuban government's fear that foreign investment would undermine national sovereignty (in other words, foreign investors putting Cuba up for sale);〔〔 ("Encuentro con el Canciller Bruno Rodríguez y la agenda de diálogo de CAFE" ) ("Meeting with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and the dialogue agenda CAFE"), 2 October 2012, accessed 25 May 2013. ((English translation ))〕 and * The U.S. embargo, which delayed an undersea cable and made computers, routers, and other equipment expensive and difficult to obtain.〔(''The state of the Internet in Cuba, January 2011'' ), Larry Press, Professor of Information Systems at California State University, January 2011〕 According to Boris Moreno Cordoves, Deputy Minister of Informatics and Communications, the Torricelli Act (part of the United States embargo against Cuba) identified the telecommunications sector as a tool for subversion of the 1959 Cuban Revolution, and the necessary technology has been conditioned by counter-revolutionaries, but is also seen as essential for Cuba’s economic development.〔 ((English translation ))〕 The political situation in both Cuba and the United States is slowly changing. U.S. regulations were recently modified to encourage communication links with Cuba.〔 In 2009 President Obama announced that the United States would allow American companies to provide Internet service to Cuba, however, the Cuban government rejected the offer and is instead working with the Venezuelan government. ==Status== Cuba’s domestic telecommunications infrastructure is limited in scope and is only appropriate for the early days of the Internet. There is virtually no broadband Internet access in Cuba. Cuba’s mobile network is limited in coverage and uses “second generation” technology, suited to voice conversations and text messaging, but not Internet applications.〔 Telecommunications between Cuba and the rest of the world is limited to the Intersputnik system and aging telephone lines connecting with the United States. Total bandwidth between Cuba and the global Internet is just 209 Mbit/s upstream and 379 downstream.〔 About 30 percent of the population (3 million users, 79th in the world) had access to the Internet in 2012.〔 Internet connections are through satellite leading the cost of accessing the Internet to be high.〔 The average cost of a one-hour cybercafé connection is about $1.50 U.S. dollars for the national network and $4.50 U.S. dollars for the international network, while the average monthly salary is just $20 U.S. dollars.〔 Private ownership of a computer or cell phone required a difficult-to-obtain government permit until 2008.〔("Changes in Cuba: From Fidel to Raul Castro" ), ''Perceptions of Cuba: Canadian and American policies in comparative perspective'', Lana Wylie, University of Toronto Press Incorporated, 2010, p. 114, ISBN 978-1-4426-4061-0〕 Because of limited bandwidth, authorities give preference to use from locations where Internet access is used on a collective basis, such as in work places, schools, and research centers, where many people have access to the same computers or network. A new undersea fiber-optic link to Venezuela (ALBA-1) was scheduled for 2011. In February 2011 the fiber optic cable linking Cuba to Jamaica and Venezuela arrived and was expected to provide download speeds up to 3,000 times faster than previously available. The fiber optic cable was expected to be in operation by the summer of 2011, but reports in October 2011 stated that the fiber optic cable was not yet in place. The government has not commented on the issue, which has led citizens to believe that the project was never completed due to corruption in the Cuban government. In May 2012 there were reports that the cable was operational, but with use restricted to Cuban and Venezuelan government entities. Internet access by the general public still uses the slower and more expensive satellite links,〔("Fiber-optic cable benefiting only Cuban government" ), ''Miami Herald'', 25 May 2012〕 until January 2013 when internet speeds increased. One network link connects to the global internet and is used by government officials and tourists, while another connection for use by the general public has restricted content. Most access is to a government-controlled national intranet and an in-country e-mail system.〔("Country report: Cuba" ), World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 27 September 2011〕 The intranet contains the EcuRed encyclopedia and websites that are supportive of the government. Such a network is similar to the Kwangmyong used by North Korea, a network Myanmar uses and a network Iran has plans to implement.〔Christopher Rhoads and Farnaz Fassihi, May 28, 2011, (Iran Vows to Unplug Internet ), Wall Street Journal〕 Starting on 4 June 2013 Cubans can sign up with ETECSA, the state telecom company, for public Internet access under the brand "" at 118 centers across the country. Juventud Rebelde, an official newspaper, said new areas of the Internet would gradually become available.〔 The cost of Internet access is CUC$4.50 per hour (or CUC$0.60 for domestic intranet access and CUC$1.50 for email), which is still high in a country where state salaries average $20 a month.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Internet in Cuba」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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