The revolution that Fidel Castro began in 1953 and concluded with the ousting of Bautista in 1959 has very little to show for it in more than half a century of iron-fisted rule. High-ranking members live luxurious lifestyles while everyone else is subjected to salaries ranging from $19-$22 a month, whether you are a surgeon or a janitor. This salary is based on a 17 percent raise in June of 2012 by Raúl Castro, Fidel's brother. Since he took over in 2008, Raúl has been making incremental changes that will hopefully bring equality to everyone in Cuba. The latest implementation of these changes is allowing ordinary Cubans to access to the Internet, which before was limited to high-ranking party members, foreign nationals and companies.

Cuba will be offering Internet access starting June 4^th,  2013 in 118 branches of the Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A. (ETECSA), the country's state run telecommunication company. The announcement was made in the government's Official Gazette with warnings to users saying, "It could not be used to endanger or prejudice public security, or the integrity and sovereignty of the nation."

Officially the country has announced 2.6 million Cubans now have access to the Internet, but this is a state-controlled Intranet with access to only government approved sites. The new mandate issued by the state is going to give access to anyone who can afford the extremely expensive rates mandated to browse the Web. As it stands right now the rate is going to be $4.50 an hour, which equals to a quarter or more of the monthly salary of the average Cuban. Again, this will limit virtually everyone but the privileged from being able to afford these rates.

Interestingly enough, the technology to provide Internet service with affordable rates to the 11.2 million inhabitants of the island does exist. In 2011, a project between Venezuela and Cuba connected the country to a fiber-optic communication cable. However, the government has been slow to bring this system online. The official statement is it has been conducting tests for several months in select areas, but it has not been applied nationwide. Currently, the company uses satellite technology to provide Internet service.