Yade Ledon, a Cuban living in Lakeland, Florida, shared a heartfelt video on Instagram detailing how she learned of her grandmother's passing five hours after it happened, due to Cuba's persistent internet connectivity issues.
"Today, my 99-year-old grandmother passed away at three in the morning in Cuba. I found out at eight because there was no connection in Cuba," Yade expresses, her voice filled with emotion.
The Struggles of Cuban Expats
Her story encapsulates a harsh reality faced by countless Cubans abroad: the forced isolation stemming from the energy and telecommunications crisis that the Cuban regime has allowed to fester over the years.
"For millions of us, this is the pain we constantly endure: the fear of being far away, of losing someone without being able to be there in time, the fear of saying goodbye over a phone call. Emigrating is not just leaving a country; it's living with a divided heart every day," she explains.
A Plea for Support
In her video, Yade directly addresses President Donald Trump, speaking as a granddaughter, an immigrant, and a Cuban.
"Help us so our families can live with dignity. Help us bring back the smiles to Cuba one day, because behind every Cuban who left, there's a story that still hurts," she concludes.
The Dire State of Connectivity in Cuba
Every day, the Cuban Electric Union reports a deficit of thousands of megawatts, leading to power outages of up to 20 hours daily across most provinces.
These extensive blackouts cripple the power grid and simultaneously disrupt the telecommunications infrastructure managed by ETECSA, Cuba's state-run monopoly, leaving nearly half the nation without mobile service or Internet access.
The connectivity crisis is neither new nor accidental. Shockingly, less than 8% of Cuban homes have internet access, making Cuba the second worst in Latin America for connectivity, only slightly better than Haiti.
In March, a massive blackout resulted in a 65% drop in internet traffic, as reported by Cloudflare Radar, taking 29 hours to restore.
The Irony of Progress
The regime's contradictions are glaring: while millions of Cubans lack the means to make a simple phone call to check on their loved ones, Díaz-Canel was recently at the University of Havana promoting the development of a sovereign Cuban artificial intelligence.
Yade Ledon's experience is not an isolated case. Earlier this year, a video went viral showing a young Cuban in Spain saying goodbye to his sick grandmother via video call, highlighting the desperate communication struggles many face.
Understanding Cuba's Internet Crisis
Why does Cuba have such poor internet connectivity?
Cuba's internet issues stem from outdated infrastructure, the monopoly of ETECSA, and the government's reluctance to modernize and improve access, exacerbated by frequent power outages.
How do power outages affect internet access in Cuba?
Power outages disrupt the electrical grid, which in turn collapses the telecommunications infrastructure, leaving vast areas of the country without phone or internet services.
What impact does poor connectivity have on Cuban expatriates?
Poor connectivity causes emotional distress for Cuban expatriates, who often learn about family emergencies and deaths much later than when they occur, leading to feelings of helplessness and isolation.