On August 11, 2021, the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security published a Fact Sheet to emphasize the US government’s support for the people of Cuba and their right to unobstructed access to information over the internet after the Cuban regime implemented measures to curb the flow of internet information in Cuba. The Fact Sheet was released in response to the Cuban regime’s violent repression of thousands of Cubans who are protesting, among other issues, the regime’s restrictions on their access to internet-based information.
While most transactions between the US and Cuba continue to be restricted by OFAC-imposed sanctions such as the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), 31 CFR part 515, and an economic embargo enforced by the BIS pursuant to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), 15 CFR parts 730-774, the Fact Sheet highlights the types of exemptions and authorizations that can be used to enable individuals and businesses to provide certain telecommunications and internet services to support internet freedom for the Cuban people, including the use of OFAC general and specific licenses and BIS licenses and license exceptions to the extent applicable. The Fact Sheet also emphasizes OFAC’s “favorable licensing posture” for requests that support the free flow of internet information via in Cuba, and the BIS’s “general policy of approval” for licenses related to telecommunications and internet-related items that support the Cuban people.
OFAC Recent Actions | Fact Sheet | Cuban Assets Control Regulations | Export Administration Regulations