Mobile Internet prices soar, students protest

Student discontent remains high in Cuba over the new mobile internet rates implemented by the national telecommunications company, with some even calling for a class strike on Wednesday. The new pricing, which came into effect Friday and involves a sharp increase in rates for anything exceeding the basic plan, itself drastically reduced, and a partial dollarization of the service, has sparked a wave of outrage among Cubans, particularly students.

According to the University Student Federation (FEU) of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, an official organization, "the explanations provided during the debates between student bodies and the leaders of (the national telecommunications company) Etecsa have not provided realistic solutions to the people's demands." "We are calling on students, starting Wednesday, June 4, not to attend academic activities, as a form of protest," the organization adds.

"We call on the leadership of our University of Havana to recognize this protest as legitimate in order to avoid the distortion of our revolutionary and honest intentions," added the students, who are demanding the "revocation" of the new pricing measures by May 30. In another statement, the FEU of the Faculty of Philosophy, History and Sociology stated that it "joins the demand of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science – which, as of today, legitimately calls for not attending educational activities – for a total revocation of the new measures imposed by Etecsa."

"Nothing and no one will interrupt our teaching processes with calls that are completely removed from the spirit that animated the exchanges with the student organizations," warned the University of Havana administration on its Facebook page. The University Student Federation, which oversees all the student organizations of the faculties, also indicated that it "supports" the students in their demands, but rejects "attempts to disrupt the normality of university life."

On Wednesday, it was difficult for AFP to confirm whether the call for a strike had been followed. As soon as the new rates came into effect, without any prior announcement, student organizations expressed their discontent. In response to the outcry, President Miguel Diaz-Canel declared that he was "attentive to the opinions, criticisms, and dissatisfaction of our people" regarding the new rates, and assured that "options are being studied for the most vulnerable sectors, including our dear students."

Several meetings have taken place between student representatives and Etecsa officials, who justified these increases by the need for maintenance operations. On Monday evening, the company announced that students would finally be entitled to two monthly top-ups in national currency, compared to only one for the rest of the population, without, however, calming their discontent.