Members of Florida's Republican congressional delegation, namely Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Maria Elvira Salazar, are calling out President Joe Biden for not doing enough to help the Cuban people after the protests that broke out over a month ago. Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, have called on the Biden administration to send an internet signal into the island so that oppressed Cubans can communicate with the outside world and relay information about the Cuban regime.
Shortly after the protests broke out, the Cuban regime in Havana shut down internet services across the country.
According to Rep. Diaz-Balart, sending in the internet signal to Cuba is doable, and there are several options available to President Biden, if he were to entertain the notion. Diaz-Balart confirms that there are at least three options available to Biden.
"We are very committed to opening up the internet for the people of Cuba." "I've had classified briefings we can't talk about a lot of things, but here's what I can tell you. There's not one option, or two options, or three options, there are multiple options available to provide communications for Cubans throughout the island. Some of those options have been used in other places, by the way. So, let's debunk it right now," Diaz-Balart said. "And so anybody who says that 'the options are not available' have to, by the way, be living on a different planet to not understand the technology."
Rep. Salazar went further, saying that there have already been talks with different technology companies, but are only waiting for the Biden administration to 'greenlight' the venture. Salazar also said that if Biden refused to fund the project, she believes the "Cuban-American community" was ready to lay down the cash.
"We have spoken personally with the companies that are willing to provide that service. I am not a 'techy,' I do not know how to do it, but I do know that the Biden Administration and the White House, tomorrow morning, will say 'yes go ahead, we'll have internet tomorrow afternoon." said Salazar. " It's easy, it's not that expensive, and if the Biden Administration does not want to pay for it, I am sure that the Cuban-American community in the United States and abroad will put the cash down to do it. It's just that we are trying to be respectful."
Senator Rubio recently told The Floridian that he and former President Donald Trump had devised a plan to beam internet into Cuba.
“We were already looking at how to provide internet access. We had made great progress in that regard, it was going to happen in his second term, and obviously, this all stops when these guys get in,” said Sen. Rubio.
The Biden administration has place sanctions on elements of the Cuban regime and has called for meetings with opposition groups about remittances, but nothing more.
"So the technology is there, we know where it is, the private companies we have spoken with are willing to do it. All we are waiting for is for the federal government to say yes. And that's what I was saying. Time is running out and we're not going to wait much more. Because it's been 62 years, we cannot stand by while they're committing brutality against these people. We want the administration to join us. That would be the right thing and the most decent and humane thing to do from the Democratic Party."- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar
