U.S. Protests Cuban Jamming

Cuban jamming of radio and TV signals from this country continues, says the U.S. federal agency that oversees U.S. nonmilitary international broadcasting.
The Broadcasting Board of Governors condemned Cuba’s jamming of U.S. international broadcasts to Iran, calling the action a “deliberate and malicious” effort to block Iranian audiences from gaining access to truthful news and information.
The BBG also urged providers such as Intelsat and Eutelsat to stop giving service to countries that have jammed satellite transmissions to Iran, where pro-democracy advocates have staged repeated demonstrations against the ruling Islamic government.
“Cuba’s jamming of satellite transmissions is illegal and interferes with the free and open flow of international communications,” stated Ken Tomlinson, the BBG’s chairman. “This action is illegal, represents a major threat to satellite communication and must be stopped.”
The jamming was detected on July 6, the day the BBG’s Voice of America launched a daily, 30-minute, Persian-language television news and analysis program.
The BBG said service providers have said the source of jamming is near Havana, about 90 miles from the coast of the United States.
In a resolution, the BBG has urged the State Department and the FCC to “lodge an appropriate formal protest against the Government of Cuba for this unwarranted and wrongful interference.”