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Cuba Approves First Public Wi-Fi Hub In Havana
An anonymous reader writes that Havana is on the verge of getting its first public wi-fi. "Cuba's state telecom agency Etecsa has granted approval to the artist Kcho to open the country's first public wireless hub at his cultural center. Kcho, who has close ties to the Cuban government, is operating the hub using his own, government-approved internet connection, and paying approximately $900 (£600) per month to run it. Only an estimated 5% — 25% of Cubans have any type of internet service. That is because internet access is incredibly expensive. For instance, an hour of internet access at a cafe can cost $4.50 — nearly a week's wages for the average Cuban. Kcho told the Associated Press he decided to offer free internet at the center, which opened in western Havana in January, in order to encourage Cubans to familiarize themselves with the internet."
Blew my entire paycheck on it!
"Well the good news is Portage is ready to upgrade my Gentoo from the 2.2 to 3.17 kernel...but...jesus christ....what happened to Slashdot"
Good people go to bed earlier.
I'm unclear : where exactly is this $900 per month coming from and going to ?
$4.50/hour is the price the governent charges in the public internet cafes, not the price at this new hotspot. This hotspot is free. That is the news here, this is the first internet hotspot that is free and open to the public. This is not clear from the article or the summary. Both mention the official cost and that Kcho decided to make it free, but they don't mention whether he succeeded in making it free. He did.
Kcho, whoever he is, is covering the outrageous cost of ADSL. I wonder if there is something we can do to help him.
That's how afraid the Cuban government is of the free flow of ideas.
This is typical of all totalitarian regimes. Even the US is heading in that direction.
Nice try Cuba, no cigar ... oh wait!
This is typical of all totalitarian regimes. Even the US is heading in that direction.
No it isn't. The USA wants you to communicate all you want.
They simply intend to record it all.
There is no such thing as a former KGB man. - Vladimir Putin
Some games teach you to kill. They once put my face on a game, 'you've got to find Chavez to kill him'. - Hugo Chavez
A number of medical professionals in Cuba are complaining that their email accounts and access to the internet have been suspended by the government because they dared use the country’s version of Craiglist, Revolico.com. Doctors and medical workers tell the independent Cubanet’s Orlando Gonzalez that the sanctions came after they used their email addresses to place or respond to ads on the site.... http://cubanotes.com/want-to-g...
It's a fallacious comparison, and a ludicrous insult to the Cuban people who have suffered the opression of a totalitarian regime for more than fifty years.
How about a good ol revolution for capitalism and democracy. Yet we still support oh they have wifi now great!!!
It is typical of all regimes. Every regime falls short of the image they want to project. That means they depend on the mercy of their citizens, their willingness to forgive imperfection. Or they can cheat: ensure loyalty through deception - propaganda and censorship - or by turning patriotism into an outright cult that worships the nation. Sometimes this gambit works, the regime escapes control of its citizens, and usually begins lumbering from one disaster to another.
Totalitarianism is simply the extreme form of this flaw, where the state's need for absolute loyalty overrides all other concerns. If religion is opium for the masses, then totalitarianism is heroin for their nations.
Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.
For some entertainment, there's some clips of Conan O'Brien dicking around in Cuba.