The United States Department of Justice this Wednesday (November 30, 2022) recommended that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) refuse a permit for the installation of the first undersea telecommunications cable that would connect the United States to Cuba.
The Cuban government poses a “counterintelligence threat” to the United States, and since state-owned communications company ETECSA would manage the cable landing system, Havana could “access sensitive U.S. data traveling through the new cable segment,” the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement Explanation .
“As long as the Cuban government remains a counterintelligence threat to the United States and is allied with others doing the same, the risks to our infrastructure are simply too great,” Deputy Homeland Security Attorney Matthew G. Olsen said in a statement.
According to the Justice Ministry, Cuba’s relations with other “foreign adversaries” such as China or Russia pose a risk to the government if such a connection exists.
However, Olsen noted that the US “supports the existence of a safe, reliable, and open internet around the world, including Cuba.”
The ARCOS-1 USA Inc. submarine cable system has applied to the FCC to adapt its network to the first and only link of this type between the United States and Cuba.
The ARCOS-1 network connects 24 landing points in 15 countries on the continent, including Colombia, the United States, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela.
The US has criticized the Cuban government for restricting internet access in the country, particularly after protests erupted on the island in mid-2022.
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