U.S. Unveils Major Undersea Cable Initiative for Caribbean and Central America, Excluding Cuba

The U.S. State Department has unveiled an ambitious plan to expand high-speed connectivity in the Caribbean and Central America through a new undersea cable initiative. This project aims to link the region with trustworthy providers, yet notably omits Cuba from its plans.

This announcement was made during the annual conference of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organizations (CANTO) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. As expected, Cuba was not included in the project.

The State Department's official statement emphasized Washington's push for Caribbean governments to "exclude unreliable providers from their information and communication technology ecosystems and to adopt a modernized, secure approach to network renewal."

The initiative also includes legal and technical assistance through the U.S. Department of Commerce's Commercial Law Development Program, which will aid governments in drafting legislation on reliable providers and in protecting critical infrastructure.

Just two days prior to the conference, the U.S. hosted the U.S.-Caribbean Digital Transformation Accelerator, bringing together Caribbean regulators and American companies to discuss tangible projects concerning undersea cables, 5G network funding, satellite connectivity, and artificial intelligence readiness.

Cuba is notably absent from all these initiatives.

The exclusion is deliberate: since December 2022, the Department of Justice recommended the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deny ARCOS-1's request to lay a direct cable between Florida and Cuba, citing counterintelligence risks due to ETECSA's control over the landing infrastructure.

ETECSA, Cuba's state-owned telecommunications monopoly, is linked to the military-business conglomerate GAESA, which is on the U.S. Treasury's sanctioned entities list.

Decree 124/2025 extended ETECSA's concession until 2036, with the possibility of renewal until 2066, cementing the state's monopoly over communications for decades to come.

Currently, the island relies on the ALBA-1 cable, connecting it to Venezuela since 2013, and the Arimao cable, linking it with Martinique through Orange and ETECSA, which began testing in April 2023. Neither effectively addresses Cuba's structural isolation from the global network.

The domestic situation is equally bleak. In May 2025, ETECSA restricted internet access for millions of Cubans by limiting top-ups in Cuban pesos to 360 CUP every 30 days and promoting dollar-based plans, which are beyond the reach of most of the population.

A resolution from the Institute of Information and Social Communication, effective since May 2025, also allows for the suspension of websites without prior notice if the regime deems they violate "socialist principles."

In May 2026, the U.S. publicly offered Cuba free satellite internet via Starlink and $100 million in humanitarian aid. The Cuban government turned down both offers.

Weeks later, in June, Cuban Customs seized Starlink equipment at airports under Resolution 1/2026, which bans importing devices that access telecommunications networks without authorization.

While the rest of the Caribbean moves toward what the U.S. describes as a digital transformation ensuring "reliable, secure hemispheric networks poised to support long-term economic growth," Cuba remains ensnared by ETECSA's monopoly, regime censorship, and a deliberate rejection of any independent connectivity alternatives.