Posted on 08/12/2021 9:52:35 PM PDT by algore
Tuesday evening, the US Senate approved an amendment proposed by Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio for the administration of President Joe Biden to provide free Internet to Cubans on the island.
On a Twitter post, Senator Rubio said “Tonight the Senate unanimously passed my amendment to provide internet access to the people of #Cuba.”
The amendment creates a Deficit Neutral Reserve Fund (DNRF) in the next reconciliation bill that would be used to develop and deploy existing technology for the purpose of providing internet access to the island nation.
Senator Rick Scott also joined Rubio in the proposal.
The amendment was passed without a recorded vote, meaning that no one opposed the plan. New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, a prominent supporter of the US-Cuba embargo, and Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, a longtime opponent of the embargo, said they supported the Rubio and Scott amendment
This ‘free’ deal begs questions. Are Wi-Fi hotspots being put up? Are free routers being distributed? Isn’t half the island still at dial-up speed (it’d take sixty seconds just to get a text page to come up)?
America first?
If the Cuban government cannot block this free internet, I support it. Whatever helps get the Cubans free.
So… we’re not going to take a stand on the budget ceiling increase to try to derail the obscene spending bill? Oh.
Is this a stand against communism via more communism or should I get back paid for all my online payments now that it’s free?
Republicans seem to always pounce on leftist big spending to add their own. Did the same with porkulus, not that anyone remembers that old news.
I read this as a wireless system broadcast from Guantanamo or a satellite system. Next problem is getting the radio receivers / modems in the hands of the people. The obvious purpose of this is for the truth to get to the people, fomenting a change to a government that recognizes individual rights being inherent in the individual. The response of the rulers in Cuba will be jamming the signal and or killing anyone with a receiver / modem as an enemy of the State.
They shoulda stuck with VOA and shortwave. Not cheap, but at least that had some value.
How much is my internet service going to go up so others can get it for free
Either the 1.2 trillion infrastructure bill or the 3.5 trillion dollar infrastructure bill has that in there for Americans. Requirements to get it? I don’t know.
Google and YouTube awarded contracts to provide responsible search and news feeds to newly freed communist consumers....
SARC!!!
Money to Musk and Starlink. They’ll still have to figure out how to hide the dish and receiver.
this is ridiculous.
I’ve got a better idea. If Rubio wants to help Cuba so much, let’s deport him and send him there. Viva la revolution.
Is it so critical that Cubans be submitted to WaPo, NYT and MediaMatters “fact checkers”? Why does Rubio think it so necessary that Twitter and Facebook get access to a whole island of people they can block and de-platform? This will not extend an internet version of “radio-free Europe” to Cuba when the former “free world” is becoming communist itself.
Micro Rubio does a good job representing Cuba, the USA, not so much.
A number of people in the protests were walking around with smartphones from the video footage. Their own internet is almost certainly censored, but they could use it to communicate with each other - Cuba’s government put that down after the protests.
Amazed at the responses by other posters who believe this bill was about simply providing “free internet” and not about getting around the crackdown to provide them with a means to communicate with WiFi signals not being controlled by their government.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.