Quest Net Corp. of Aventura, Fla., has filed with the U.S. Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) for authorization to construct a 40 Gbps
undersea fiber optic cable with capacity of more than 530,000
simultaneous connections between the U.S. and Cuba. The project
involves 180 kilometers of undersea cable and two landing points. Quest
Net says it is awaiting a response from the FCC before initiating talks
with Cuba. The 12-month project would cost an estimated US$13 million.
In the last five years, several U.S. companies have made similar
proposals to the FCC, all of which were rejected by the U.S. Department
of Commerce, on the basis of concerns about technology transfer to Cuba.