The internet rate hike in Cuba
Fraud, student protest, and the assertion of people’s democracy
On May 30, 2025, the Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA) announced a change in its pricing structure. The new policy had been anticipated in the report on the national economy to the National Assembly of People’s Power by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz on December 18, 2024. The Prime Minister explained that the relevant committees of the National Assembly had approved a group of measures that were designed to stimulate more income in foreign currency for ETECSA, which needs foreign currency in order to sustain, improve, and further develop the Cuban internet system. He noted that sales of packages in national money will be maintained at the same prices, but there will be limits on consumption, with a different price established for those who want to consume more. There will be a group of packages available in foreign currency, he noted, designed to stimulate income in foreign currency.
The Prime Minister’s discussion of ETECSA was part of a larger report on the program of the…