Rising internet costs in Cuba tighten limits on daily activities

The new rates have made basic Internet packages unaffordable for many. A 3GB plan now costs $19, while the average monthly salary in Cuba is $14.

For many students, even remittances from relatives in the United States no longer cover food, transportation and Internet access. Now, the money only stretches to the first two.

An economist, human rights activist and independent journalist from Santiago de Cuba who requested anonymity due to past government reprisals, called ETECSA's price hikes "a clear and direct form of censorship."

He said that by drastically raising the cost of Internet access, the government is excluding much of the population -- especially the most vulnerable -- from public discourse and access to critical information about their own lives.

"The Internet is essential for coordinating aid with other colleagues," said a doctor in Havana who is labeled an activist by the communist government and barred from working in the public health system.

That has forced her to find other ways to help. She now works as a human rights advocate and provides medical care to people living in extreme poverty.

"Digital exclusion means social exclusion and lost opportunities for the poor. Censorship doesn't just silence us -- it blocks access to tools that could save lives and change realities," she added.