Looks like President Obama wants to see some change in our Cuba policy, and not merely change affecting only Cuban-Americans and their relationship with the country. American telecommunication companies will now be allowed to, among other things, establish satellite links between the two countries and—Opie and Anthony may soon be heard in Havana!

It’s true. In an effort to modernize, if not normalize, relations between the two countries, the Obama Administration will now allows companies to set up fiber optic connections—could widespread Cuban broadband be far behind? Additionally, TV and satellite radio companies would be allowed to operate in the country. CNN Santiago de Cuba edition, Sirius XM en Cuba, etc. Roaming agreements between American and Cuban cellphone companies would also be permitted.

Of course, now it’s up to the Cuban government to allow the American companies to set up shop. It’s just that now there won’t be American law standing in these companies’ way.

Combine all that with the ability to donate consumer telecom equipment—presumably including cellphones, TVs, PSPs, etc.—and you’re looking at quite a change in policy. It’s about time, too.

Photo: Flickr

via Los Angeles Times

Cuba is trying to eliminate its dependency on Microsoft Windows by launching and promoting a homegrown version of Linux called Nova. Government officials say they want to ween as many of the country’s computers off Windows just in case the operating system has hidden hooks into the CIA, NSA, etc. Can’t have that, now can they? Linux, free and open source, also gels with the country’s ideology. Hooray for Cuba, then.

The transition to Linux is going pretty well. About 20 percent of the country’s computers already run the operating system, and officials there hope to see 50 percent of computers run Linux within five years. Naturally, those with “special” applications (think business types and the like) are weary of making the switch, since they’re concerned about compatibility.

This here is a video of the Linux distribution in action. The last distro I used with any regularity was Red Hat 8, so pardon my lack of knowledge on the development of the kernel since then.

In other Cuba news, there’s a bill floating around the House that would ease travel restrictions to the island. Needless to say, I’d go there in a split second. Silly embargo is cramping my style.

Cuba is set to get broadband internet access in the year 2010 and you can sure as hell bet that CrunchGear will more than happy to provide Cubans everywhere with half-cocked news and reviews that may or may not pertain to the world of technology.

Apparently, some documents have been leaked (site is currently down, unfortunately) detailing an undersea cable to be stretched between Cuba and Venezuela as a workaround to that pesky trade embargo that Uncle Sam’s handed down to our friends off the southern tip of Florida. Speaking of Florida, it’d be a lot easier and cheaper to stretch a cable from there to Cuba but, again, they’re in cahoots with the Soviets and they like communism and we don’t trade with communist countries except for China, Vietnam, and most of the others.

According to InformationWeek, “the Cuban government has estimated a Havana-Florida cable would cost $500,000” and it’s unknown how much the way-longer cable from Venezuela will cost. The leaked documents say that the new cable will be able to handle data, video, and VoIP services, though. You’ll recall that personal computers came to Cuba earlier this year along with cell phones. So things are looking up!

For the first time ever, Cuban citizens can purchase personal computers. There’s only one model available and it’s priced too high for most Cubans (and it’d seem like a downright rip-off to most Americans), but this is a good start nonetheless.

The computer is a QTECH PC and costs just under $800. It’s got a Celeron processor, 80GB hard drive, 512MB of RAM, Windows XP, CRT monitor, and a DVD drive. By comparison, according to the Associated Press, “For about $80 less, buyers in the U.S. can get a desktop with more than twice the memory, an 80GB SATA hard drive and 22-inch LCD flat screen monitor.

The Cuban PCs will be sold in government-run electronic stores and will primarily be used for limited gaming and things like word processing and schoolwork. Internet access is still a big no-no in Cuba, though. According to the AP…

Except for some trusted officials and state journalists, most Cubans are banned from accessing the Internet at home. So many of these new computers may never be connected to the Web.

Some people buy limited e-mail access on the black market, usually sharing an account with the authorized holder, who usually works for the state. Even if they could access the Web, Cubans can’t shop on line because they don’t have credit cards.

Computers have apparently been available on the black market for a while in Cuba for roughly the same price, but those prices may fall now that buying computers is legal. The bigger issue is the price of the machines.

The average state salary in Cuba is less than $20 per month, although “most Cubans have access to extra income through jobs with foreign firms, tips from working in tourism or money sent by relatives living abroad.”

Cubans can now buy cellphones! That means they’re well on their way to becoming a member of the international community of nations, right? Baby steps.

Yup, starting today, everyday Cubans can purchase cellphones from the state-owned wireless provider. The cellphones are said to be restriction-free, as they’re able to make international calls just fine. Unfortunately, Reuters reports, the phones cost the equivalent of nine months of wages. So, either their phones are really expensive, or Cubans are able to live on a very small income. My guess, having only studied the country sporadically, is that the latter is true.

It’s all part of Raúl Castro’s plan to ease some of the restrictions placed upon the Cuban people by his brother Fidel. You may have heard of him. Cubans started buying DVD players last month, for example.

Sounds like a hell of an opportunity to sell hot ringtonezzz, though.