Wednesday, March 21, 2012

If Cuba needs a [tech] revolution, who should be its revolutionaries?

When I received the invitation for the following Heritage Foundation / Google Ideas conference late last week, I responded with the following message to the organizers:

"Wow! This sounds like it will be very interesting. However, I still think the best (and easiest) thing we can do to achieve greater freedom in Cuba is end the travel ban and get rid of the embargo. This won't end the Cuban government's internal embargo but I think it will make it much harder to enforce and remove their favorite whipping boy and scapegoat from the chessboard (if I can mix my metaphors)."

Go here to get a link to the simulcast.

For what it's worth, I think it is beyond question that Cuba needs a [technological] revolution (in the words of the conference announcement), but for me the REAL question is should - and how should - outsiders help Cubans achieve that revolution?

I'm especially looking forward to watching Carlos Saladrigas go toe-to-toe with Mauricio Claver-Carone - not to mention el mismísimo Senator Marco Rubio, in answering that question. I sure wish Phil Peters of The Cuban Triangle were one of the other panelists...




Cordially Invite You to a Conference


Cuba Needs a [Technological] Revolution

How the Internet Can Thaw an Island Frozen in Time


Featuring
The Honorable Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Member, United States Senate

Introduction
Mike Gonzalez, Vice President, Communications, The Heritage Foundation

Jared Cohen, Director, Google Ideas

Panel 1 – Why Does Cuba’s Government Suppress the Internet?

Daniel Fisk, Vice President for Policy and Strategic Planning, International Republican Institute
Roger F. Noriega, Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
Ray Walser, Ph.D., Senior Policy Analyst, Latin America, The Heritage Foundation
Mike Gonzalez, Vice President, Communications, The Heritage Foundation (Moderator)

Panel 2 – Promoting Uncensored Information to Cubans

Mauricio Claver-Carone, Director, U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC
Carlos Garcia Perez, Director, Office of Cuba Broadcasting
Carlos Saladrigas, Co-Chairman, Cuba Study Group
James Glassman, Executive Director, George W. Bush Institute (Moderator)

~ Lunch Following ~

Wednesday, March 21, 2011 – 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Heritage Foundation’s Allison Auditorium

RSVP online at heritage.org/Events/  | or call (202) 675-1752
Terms and conditions of attendance are posted at heritage.org/Events/terms.cfm
All events may be viewed live at heritage.org
News media inquiries, call (202) 675-1761

214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE | Washington, DC 20002 | (202) 546-4400

2 comments:

  1. A cheap Weather Balloon with a Wi-Fi antenna on a boat with Satellite can easily transmit Wi-Fi to large sections of Havana. Would like to see someone try this on the flotilla that’s soon departing. The Cuban government cannot jam wi-fi spectrum because they use it themselves

    Con un barato globo meteorológico desde un bote con conexión satelital se puede transmitir fácilmente al litoral habanero. Ojala alguien pruebe esto desde la flotilla. El gobierno Cubano no puede bloquear el spectro wi-fi porque ellos mismos lo usan.

    Weather ballon for $20:
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-White-300-Gram-Weather-Balloon-7-ft-Meteorological-/170801435586?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c48f13c2

    long range wi-fi repeater $200:
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/SuperPass-WIFI-Repeater-49dBm-Outdoor-Antenna-800mW-802-11G-N-Long-Range-Booster-/360430016655?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53eb4d988f

    11Mbps
    http://wifinetnews.com/archives/2005/10/line_of_sight_way_up_yonder_balloon-fi.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Updated with numbers
    A cheap Weather Balloon with a Wi-Fi antenna on a boat with Satellite connection can easily transmit Wi-Fi to large sections of Havana. Would like to see someone try this on the flotilla that’s soon departing. The Cuban government cannot jam Wi-fi spectrum because they use it themselves

    Con un barato globo meteorológico desde un bote con conexión satelital se puede transmitir fácilmente al litoral habanero. Ojala alguien pruebe esto desde la flotilla. El gobierno Cubano no puede bloquear el Espectro Wi-fi porque ellos mismos lo usan.

    Weather ballon $20:
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-White-300-Gram-Weather-Balloon-7-ft-Meteorological-/170801435586?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c48f13c2

    Long range wi-fi repeater about $200:
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/SuperPass-WIFI-Repeater-49dBm-Outdoor-Antenna-800mW-802-11G-N-Long-Range-Booster-/360430016655?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53eb4d988f

    Range: Up to 60 kilometers (37 miles)
    International waters off the coast of Cuba: 20.11 kilometers (12.5) miles from Havana
    Speed: 11Mbps (about 220 times faster than 56Kbs Dial-Up most Cubans use)

    http://wifinetnews.com/archives/2005/10/line_of_sight_way_up_yonder_balloon-fi.html

    ReplyDelete