Monday, May 14, 2007

Crackdown on satellite tv

Lest anyone think that Cubans could do anything they want with the video equipment that they can now import, a Cuban law enforcement campaign is cracking down on the pirating and resale of satellite television signals.

According to Reuters, a dozen individuals engaged in this business were nabbed and could face five years in jail. According to Prensa Latina, 20,000-peso fines ($640) have been levied on individuals who bought the service. The black-market service sells DirecTV signals, which allows Cubans to see the U.S. government’s TV Marti, which is carried on one of DirecTV’s channels. Cuban authorities say that the “counterrevolutionary” and “destabilizing” content of TV Marti and private stations carried on DirecTV are the reason for the crackdown, in addition to the illegality of the black-market activity itself. (I’ll add a link to a news account in English when I can find one.)

How interesting it would be to know what Cubans are actually watching when they buy satellite access. I have heard Cubans rave about Sabado Gigante and trade videos of it, and they trade videos and DVD’s of movies of all kinds. Any guesses as to the percent that tune in to the U.S. government’s broadcasts if they also have the option to see sports, movies, other entertainment, and news?

4 comments:

leftside said...

We can talk about Cuba allowing bootleg satellite dishes when the US Government stops illegally using other country's airwaves (and now our own) to broadcast naked propoganda, aimed 100% at regime change.

The Cubans have often turned the other way at satellites, but with the US' stepped up (and illegal) efforts the Govt. periodicly feels forced to make an example out of some of the most egregious examples (there was a similar Granma piece in Feb.) At least they warn people...

But honestly, there is no place for Radio/TV Marti. It breaks international and US law and is crude propoganda that Cubans see right through. I'd challenge the Cuban Govt. to get rid of the restrictions as soon as the US dropped its broadcasts. But until then, my effort is against the US bastardization of Marti.

Karamchand said...

¿Como Radio Martí o TeleMartí son o están ilegales?, eso es un absurdo, transmiten en frecuencias legalmente tramitadas y aceptadas en organismos internacionales. El ilegal es el gobierno cubano que no cesa en tratar de bloquear las señales de RM y TVM.
Si lo hace la izquierda (TeleSur), está bien, pero si lo quiere hacer EEUU (propuesta del congreso cuando surgió TeleSur para crear un canal), esta mal, según Chávez y compañia. Lo estrecho para uno y lo ancho para otro, eso está muy "bonito".
El final de la historia, es que quitan 2 parábolas y le ponen 10, es un buen negocio con las en oposición a las opciones televisivas de la isla, que llevan al cubano de esa isla a buscar otra cosa que no sean las mesas retontas, los noticieros llenos de alimentos que no hay, y el constante culto a la personalidad que en todos los medios reproducen el nombre del dictador aun cuando evidentemente no tenga ni la más mínima cosa que ver con el asunto tratado. Por favor, mijo, cambia de mano a veces, porque se te va a acalambrar.

Karamchand said...

Una paradoja, es que los canales Cubavisión Internacional y TeleMartí, están en el mismo satélite, de manera que si el gobierno asume que el cubano tiene el satelite para ver TeleMartí, cosa esta que no es cierta, al cubano no le interesa la política, es la triste realidad, piensa rápido y mal el gobierno cubano.

leftside said...

The US actions are illegal according the Int. Telecom Union - (the relevant UN agency). We disrupt their TV, radio (and shortwave) - even Radio Rebelde. It is also illegal for the US to broadcast propaganda inside the US... which we are now doing in order to have the signal on DirectTV (because everything else has been blocked).

Telesur is PBS compared to the garbage on Marti. I say let US citizens watch Telesur (I can not get it in a city with 5 million Spanish speakers) and let the Cubans watch everything but US propoganda.