Ever since restoring relations with the United States this past December, Cuba just keeps warming up to tourism and also improving the lives of those who live there.
On Thursday, the Cuban government announced the expansion of Internet access by adding Wi-Fi hotspots and slashing connection costs by more than 50 percent. This comes after President Obama said in December that the Cuban government had given him its word that it would grant more access to its people.
According to Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde, as reported by the Associated Press, 35 government-controlled computer centers around Cuba will have Wi-Fi access beginning next month, with per-hour costs being dropped from its current $4.50 to $2.
The AP adds that the current $4.50 price remains unaffordable for many Cubans and cutting it down to $2 will make the Internet accessible for more people. Yes, 35 Internet-accessible computer centers could be deemed as baby steps, but it's a start at loosening the reins for the communist country, right?
That being said, home Internet usage remains illegal for a majority of the Cuban population and access is even limited at offices. Before this announcement of government-controlled centers granting Internet access, the only Wi-Fi networks in Cuba have been in tourist hotels.
"The Internet space is opening up here and I think this is a significant step," Norges Rodriguez, a telecommunications engineer and blogger in Havana, told the AP. "A year or two ago, we didn't have anything like this."
