The U.S. State Department has unveiled an ambitious plan to expand high-speed connectivity in the Caribbean and Central America through a new undersea cable initiative. This project aims to link the region with trustworthy providers, yet notably omits Cuba from its plans. This announcement was made during the annual conference of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organizations (CANTO) in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. ETECSA, Cuba's state-owned telecommunications monopoly, is linked to the military-business conglomerate GAESA, which is on the U.S. Treasury's sanctioned entities list. In May 2026, the U.S. publicly offered Cuba free satellite internet via Starlink and $100 million in humanitarian aid.