Re: [Marxism] Bush-era additions to blockade lifted -- victory for Cuba, Latin American solidarity

["Lüko Willms" <lueko.willms@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:38:36 -0400, Fred Feldman wrote:

> Very good news, of course.
> Fred
> 
> Obama lifts some Cuba restrictions

  The following is the text of a fact sheed provided by the White House, 
taken from the New York Times, which specifies more clearly e.g. the issued 
relating to telecommunications. My comments on this area follow the White 
House text. 
> 
<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/us/politics/13cuba-factsheet.html?ref=
americas>

-------- full text -------------------------

FACT SHEET: REACHING OUT TO THE CUBAN PEOPLE

Today, the Obama administration announced a series of changes in U.S. 
policy to reach out to the Cuban people in support of their desire to freely 
determine their country's future. In taking these steps to help bridge the gap 
among divided Cuban families and promote the freer flow of information and 
humanitarian items to the Cuban people, President Obama is working to fulfill 
the goals he identified both during his presidential campaign and since taking 
office.

All who embrace core democratic values long for a Cuba that respects basic 
human, political and economic rights of all its citizens. President Obama 
believes these measures will help make that goal a reality.

Cuban American connections to family in Cuba are not only a basic right in 
humanitarian terms, but also our best tool for helping to foster the beginnings 
of grassroots democracy on the island. There are no better ambassadors for 
freedom than Cuban Americans. Accordingly, President Obama will direct the 
Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Commerce to support the Cuban people's 
desire for freedom and self-determination by lifting all restrictions on family 
visits and remittances as well as taking steps that will facilitate greater 
contact between separated family members in the United States and Cuba and 
increase the flow of information and humanitarian resources directly to the 
Cuban people. The President is also calling on the Cuban government to 
reduce the charges it levies on cash remittances sent to the island so family 
members can be assured they are receiving the support sent to them.

Specifically, the President has directed the Secretaries of State, Treasury, 
and Commerce to take the needed steps to:

· Lift all restrictions on transactions related to the travel of family members 
to Cuba.

· Remove restrictions on remittances to family members in Cuba.

· Authorize U.S. telecommunications network providers to enter into 
agreements to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications 
facilities linking the United States and Cuba.

· License U.S. telecommunications service providers to enter into roaming 
service agreements with Cuba's telecommunications service providers.

· License U.S. satellite radio and satellite television service providers to 
engage in transactions necessary to provide services to customers in Cuba.

· License persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction to activate and pay U.S. and 
third-country service providers for telecommunications, satellite radio and 
satellite television services provided to individuals in Cuba.

· Authorize the donation of certain consumer telecommunication devices 
without a license.

· Add certain humanitarian items to the list of items eligible for export 
through 
licensing exceptions.


REACHING OUT TO THE CUBAN PEOPLE

Supporting the Cuban people's desire to freely determine their future and that 
of their country is in the national interest of the United States. The Obama 
administration is taking steps to promote greater contact between separated 
family members in the United States and Cuba and increase the flow of 
remittances and information to the Cuban people.


Lift All Restrictions on Family Visits to Cuba

We will lift all restrictions on family visits to Cuba by authorizing such 
transactions by a general license, which will strengthen contacts and 
promote American good will. We will ensure the positive reach of this effort 
by:

· Defining family members who may be visited to be persons within three 
degrees of family relationship (e.g., second cousins) and to allow individuals 
who share a common dwelling as a family with an authorized traveler to 
accompany them;

· Removing limitations on the frequency of visits;

· Removing limitations on the duration of a visit;

· Authorizing expenditure amounts that are the same as non-family travel; 
and

· Removing the 44-pound limitation on accompanied baggage.


Remove Restrictions on Remittances

We will remove restrictions on remittances to a person's family member in 
Cuba to increase Cubans' access to resources to help create opportunities 
for them by:

· Authorizing remittances to individuals within three degrees of family 
relationship (e.g., second cousins) provided that no remittances shall be 
authorized to currently prohibited members of the Government of Cuba or 
currently prohibited members of the Cuban Communist Party;

· Removing limits on frequency of remittances;

· Removing limits on the amount of remittances;

· Authorizing travelers to carry up to $3,000 in remittances; and

· Establishing general license for banks and other depository institutions to 
forward remittances.


Authorize Greater Telecommunications Links with Cuba

We will authorize greater telecommunications links with Cuba to advance 
people-to-people interaction at no cost to the U.S. government. This will 
increase the means through which Cubans on the island can communicate 
with each other and with persons outside of Cuba.

· Authorize U.S. telecommunications network providers to enter into 
agreements to establish fiber-optic cable and satellite telecommunications 
facilities linking the United States and Cuba.

· License U.S. telecommunications service providers to enter into and operate 
under roaming service agreements with Cuba's telecommunications service 
providers.

· License U.S. satellite radio and satellite television service providers to 
engage in transactions necessary to provide services to customers in Cuba.

· License persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction to activate and pay U.S. and 
third-country service providers for telecommunications, satellite radio and 
satellite television services provided to individuals in Cuba, except certain 
senior Communist Party and Cuban government officials.

· Authorize, consistent with national security concerns, the export or 
re-export to Cuba of donated personal communications devices such as 
mobile phone systems, computers and software, and satellite receivers 
through a license exception.


Revise Gift Parcel Regulations

We will expand the scope of humanitarian donations eligible for export 
through license exceptions by:

· Restoring clothing, personal hygiene items, seeds, veterinary medicines and 
supplies, fishing equipment and supplies, and soap-making equipment to the 
list of items eligible to be included in gift parcel donations;

· Restoring items normally exchanged as gifts by individuals in "usual and 
reasonable" quantities to the list of items eligible to be included in gift 
parcel 
donations;

· Expanding the scope of eligible gift parcel donors to include any individual;

· Expanding the scope of eligible gift parcel donees to include individuals 
other than Cuban Communist Party officials or Cuban government officials 
already prohibited from receiving gift parcels, or charitable, educational or 
religious organizations not administered or controlled by the Cuban 
government; and

· Increasing the value limit on non-food items to $800.



------------------ end quote --------------

   The telecommunications stuff will primarily make it possible for US 
travellers to use their mobile phones in Cuba and use it there, just subject to 
roaming charges which the Cuban telecommunications company Etecsa and 
the US-american ones will agree upon. ATT, Sprint etc will be authorised to 
make the necessary payments to ETECSA. 

  Currently, US visitors would have to buy a Cuban SIM card for their phone 
and enter a contract with ETECSA, paying them directly. What model is more 
profitable for ETECSA, I don't know, but because just using the phone right 
from leaving the plane will induce the visitors to use their phone more often. 

  It is also very good news that better fixed links between Cuba and the US 
mainland may be possible. 

  There is one issue with those improvements: the US government had 
blocked any payments for direct phone calls from the USA to Cuba for 
decades. Any agreement would require that this big debt is being paid first, 
before new debts can accumulate. 

  The last two items in that telecoms chapter are a poisened chalice: it 
authorises US visitors to Cuba to bring e.g. satellite receives as gifts, and 
pay 
directly for the reception of, say Faux News and the Corporate News Network, 
by their Cuban relatives, and it allows those propaganda networks to bill 
customers on Cuba directly (except "senior Communist party and Cuban 
government officials"). 


Comradely yours,  
Lüko Willms
Frankfurt, Germany
--------------------------------
visit http://www.mlwerke.de Marx, Engels, Luxemburg, Lenin, Trotzki in Ge
________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: 
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40archives.econ.utah.edu