President Joe Biden on Thursday said he is considering ways to restore internet access to the people of Cuba after its government blocked it to stop news and images from the protests from getting out.
'They've cut off access to the internet. We're considering whether we have the technology to reinstate that access,' Biden said at the White House during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The internet blackout, enacted Sunday after protests over food shortages began, have left much of the island without the ability to communicate.
Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seen as a top contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024 should he run, asked Biden on Wednesday for federal assistance to provide Internet access to the people of Cuba.
In his letter to Biden, DeSantis noted: 'The Cuban people have lost their ability to communicate with one another, and many Floridians born in Cuba have no information on the safety of their loved ones. Equally as important, the world has also lost the ability to see what is happening on the ground as the Cuban people rise in support of freedom.'
He called on Biden to provide the necessary authorizations and funding to help boost Internet access on the island.
Additionally, DeSantis held a press conference on Thursday in Florida to highlight the issue as he seeks a second term as governor in next year's election.
'The one thing that communist regimes fear the most, is the truth. And if we're able to help Cubans communicate with one another, also communicate to the outside world, that truth is going to matter, that truth, I think, will be decisive,' DeSantis said. 'And so, Mr. President, now's the time to stand up and be counted.'
DeSantis said every option should be explored, including using offshore and satellite technology to supply internet service, even using hot air balloons as to provide connectivity.
The balloons would hold transmitters to get a signal around. There were used around Puerto Rico in 2017 after Hurricane Maria struck that island.
President Joe Biden said he is considering ways to restore internet access to the people of Cuba after government disabled it
Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a possible 2024 WH candidate, asked Biden for federal assistance to provide Internet access to the people of Cuba
White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged on Thursday that the lack of internet 'is a huge issue in Cuba and one that is very challenging for the people of Cuba so they can gain access to accurate information they can correspond with family members and others.'
'We are certainly looking at that to see what can be done to address, but in terms of that specific proposal I don't have an assessment of that,' she added.
At the White House on Thursday, Biden also called communism a 'failed system' after he faced criticism from conservatives and some Florida Democrats for not showing strong enough support for the protesters in Cuba.
'Communism is a failed system, universally fail system. And I don't see socialism as a very useful substitute,' Biden said.
The White House had given a more measured response to the protests that took place over food shortages and power outages on the island nation, refusing to call out the 'communist' government but denounced the 'authoritative regime' instead.
Cuba is suffering its worst crisis in years from a combination of the coronavirus pandemic that has
