Cuba on Thursday accused the US Senate of
"aggression"
for passing an amendment requiring President Joe Biden to provide Cubans with internet access in order to bypass Havana censorship.
Read also: In Cuba, the opposition deprived of August 5 demonstrations
The Cuban government is used to controlling access to the internet and data from cell phones. After the unprecedented anti-government protests of July 11 that erupted across the country thanks to image relays on social networks, he cut off all access for five days.
"I denounce the aggression of the US Senate through an internet amendment in Cuba that contributes to the lucrative trade of politico-subversive machinations in Florida,"
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Twitter.
Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio, of Cuban origin, proposed the amendment which includes the creation of a fund to implement the technology necessary for internet access in the island nation. The Rubio Amendment, also proposed by his Republican colleague Ron DeSantis, intends to deploy satellites, balloons and offshore access points to provide Cubans with unrestricted connectivity.
"The technology exists to do this without delay, and I urge the Biden administration to move forward immediately
,
"
Marco Rubio said Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the US Treasury and Commerce Departments released a fact sheet that details the steps to obtain a license for Cuba-related internet and telecommunications services. According to the Cuban Foreign Minister, it is the strengthened American sanctions under the Trump administration that
"constitute the fundamental obstacle to the free and sovereign access of the Cuban people to the Internet".
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