Cubans praise Internet access centers, say price too steep at $4.50 an hour

People reflected in the window line up at a post office as they wait to use the Internet service in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, May 28, 2013. Cuba announced Tuesday that it will offer more access to the Internet starting June 4, at navegation sites around the country for $4.50 an hour. The average salary in Cuba is $15 per month. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) (AP2013)

Cuba has begun offering Internet access at more than 100 publicly run computer centers around the country.

People are lining up at one of the cyber-salons in Havana, waiting for a turn at one of a dozen computer terminals.

Currently most islanders who go online only get as far as a domestic Intranet, not the broader Worldwide Web.

The Internet service that began Tuesday costs $4.50 per hour. That's a tall order for the legions of Cubans making around $20 a month from government salaries.

Island officials have said the service was made possible by an undersea fiber-optic cable strung from Venezuela that began carrying data traffic in January.

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