# Dish Network In Our Hotel In Cuba....Is This Common??



## QualityIsJobOne (Apr 29, 2002)

We are just back from a week at Sandals in Varadero www.sandalshicacos.com

This was my first visit to Cuba....I was kinda suprised to find Dish Network available throughout this 404 room hotel.

....most of the guests were Canadian....I was kinda expecting StarChoice....Is Dish Network common in Cuba??


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

Interesting. This might explain the reason for the footprint hitting Cuba pretty well. I wonder what the legalities are for Dish doing business in Cuba. I wonder if a Canadian company installed the systems and is running it off an American billing and installation address.


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## QualityIsJobOne (Apr 29, 2002)

Richard King said:


> I wonder what the legalities are for Dish doing business in Cuba.


:nono2: ....I was suprised to see that!


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

This is precisely why DISH is starting that new system that we heard about a few weeks ago. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is a joint venture with Rainbow to get Voom into the hotels.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

Richard King said:


> I wonder what the legalities are for Dish doing business in Cuba.


Wondering the same thing, I thought it was illegal for US companies to do any business with Cuba. But then again, Charlie's been know to stretch the law in the past so who knows.


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## TNGTony (Mar 23, 2002)

There are no loop holes in this law. It is completely illegal for any US business to do business in Cuba, period. My guess is the hotel is hacking probably using one of the Canadian hacking companies.

See ya
Tony


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

The filing for E10 mentioned Cuba as a future service area when allowed and there is a set of spotbeams (content mostly shared with PR) designed for Cuba and an uplink center planned for Havana. E11's footprint will also cover the area. This is for the future ... E*, like many American companies, is expecting the trade restrictions to go away or be reduced to where they can do business in Cuba.

I'm with Tony on this one ... I expect that the system is being fed by hacked or at best "moved" receivers and E* is not directly involved in this location getting service.


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## Aransay (Jun 19, 2006)

satlite paytv is only legal incuba for hotels in certain evry delimitaed area

any where else patyv repeion in cuba si rpohibit 


Dish has a sprot ebam o cuba unusaes jut hesma ewya eth have for emxico 

Whent eh emrge7echaneg fo sucrbes ebtwen sky altinaemrica and diretv altianemria Teh right of cuab andte careben a, centr mexico, centromeria and rbsil rmain ofr sky 


Thsta etsh iuion with cuba 
High Hotles athrized na evry smal citya rea

al teh tohr aprts of the city any toehr tv chanel no genrated by cuabn goevrmen strictly prohibit, ahrd pucnsh wih jail


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## QualityIsJobOne (Apr 29, 2002)

Aransay said:


> satlite paytv is only legal incuba for hotels in certain evry delimitaed area
> 
> any where else patyv repeion in cuba si rpohibit
> 
> Dish has a sprot ebam o cuba


....Very interesting that satellite TV is only legal in hotels in Cuba & Dish Network has a spot beam on Cuba!

....FYI...StarChoice's signal (Anik F1R & Anik F2) should be easily picked up in Havana & Varadero....you would think that the hotels would go for that option vs US Dish Network.

In our Cuba hotel Dish Network's English channel offerings were thin...ESPN, HBO, CNN & an English language network from China.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

The Cuban communist dictatorship does not recognize the Rule of Law in this or any other area. It is well know for steeling signals since the early days of BUD.

Note that regular TV in Cuba is SECAM.


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## digital223 (Dec 19, 2002)

TNGTony said:


> There are no loop holes in this law. It is completely illegal for any US business to do business in Cuba, period. My guess is the hotel is hacking probably using one of the Canadian hacking companies.
> 
> See ya
> Tony


Who owns Sandals ?


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

Sandals is British, and thus can do business in the USA and communist Cuba. The US courts have ruled that non-US corporations can do so. For example "Havana Club" rum's trademark was expropriated (stolen) from its owners outside the USA and is marketed worldwide by the French company Pernod Richard, which owns 1000s of other well known brands in the USA. Bacardi makes trademarked Havana Club run in Puerto Rico for sale in the USA. 

In a somewhat related case to the above, the owner of a beachfront estate, who escaped in 1960 to the USA, sued Club Med (a Greek corporation) which was operationg a Club Med operation on her property. The US courts ruled she had to take the matter up with the Cuban courts, which, of course, do not exist.


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## QualityIsJobOne (Apr 29, 2002)

SamC said:


> Sandals is British, and thus can do business in the USA and communist Cuba.


.....Interesting that Sandals doesn't even acknowledge that they have a Sandals in Cuba on their main website www.sandals.com/general/resorts.cfm :eek2:


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## slimline (Oct 30, 2007)

TNGTony said:


> There are no loop holes in this law. It is completely illegal for any US business to do business in Cuba, period. My guess is the hotel is hacking probably using one of the Canadian hacking companies.
> 
> See ya
> Tony


bellvu for canada was it bell or dish? im willing to bet if its hacked its fro m the states..............the world capitol of dish hackers


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## QualityIsJobOne (Apr 29, 2002)

We are just back from Cuba again....this time in the "private island" - Cayo Libertad Royal Island section of the Barcelo Marina Palace www.barcelomarinapalace.com

....again Dish Network in the rooms...HBO, ESPN, CNN, The Weather Network & some Chinese Network broadcasting in English


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## digital223 (Dec 19, 2002)

QualityIsJobOne said:


> We are just back from Cuba again....this time in the "private island" - Cayo Libertad Royal Island section of the Barcelo Marina Palace www.barcelomarinapalace.com
> 
> ....again Dish Network in the rooms...HBO, ESPN, CNN, The Weather Network & some Chinese Network broadcasting in English


I see you are form Nova Scotia. A few questions that maybe you can answer.

Are American tourists allowed to visit Cuba ?

Lastly. is the Communist nation of Cuba becoming Capitalistic ? LOL!


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

digital223 said:


> Are American tourists allowed to visit Cuba ?


From http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1097.html

The Cuban Assets Control Regulations are enforced by the U.S. Treasury Department and affect all U.S. citizens and permanent residents wherever they are located, all people and organizations physically in the United States, and all branches and subsidiaries of U.S. organizations throughout the world. The Regulations require that persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction be licensed to engage in any travel-related transactions pursuant to travel to, from, and within Cuba. Transactions related to tourist travel are not licensable. This restriction includes tourist travel to Cuba from or through a third country such as Mexico or Canada. U.S. law enforcement authorities have increased enforcement of these regulations at U.S. airports and pre-clearance facilities in third countries. Travelers who fail to comply with Department of Treasury regulations could face civil penalties and criminal prosecution upon return to the United States.

And from the quite liberal Freedom House orginization (the scale is from 1 to 7).

Cuba human freedom: 7, press freedom, 7, ranking: Not Free


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## HDTVsportsfan (Nov 29, 2005)

There have already been some small changes since Fidel stepped down (I think he has) and his brother has been in place.


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## QualityIsJobOne (Apr 29, 2002)

digital223 said:


> I see you are form Nova Scotia. A few questions that maybe you can answer.
> 
> Are American tourists allowed to visit Cuba ?


Yes, but they must travel from Canada on a package tour- all inclusive hotel package with air and hotel. You would be given a Cuba tourist card on the plane and they do not stamp your passport. My wife is a travel agent and is aware of these details.



digital223 said:


> Lastly. is the Communist nation of Cuba becoming Capitalistic ?


...Hmm....the hotel staff seem to like tips!


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## TNGTony (Mar 23, 2002)

There is a way for Americans to travel to Cuba legally. My Aunt did this about 5 years ago. You can, through a third country, buy an all inclusive vacation that takes you into Cuba. As long as you do not spend a single penny in Cuba yourself, you are not breaking the law. You might be breaking the spirit of the law, but not the letter of the law. The American money is being spent in the third country, not Cuba. They are the ones spending their Peson, Bolivares, Canadian Dollas, Pesetas, whatever in Cuba.

My aunt, who lives in Puerto Rico, went through Panama for this trip.

I almost went. But I decided I will wait until the country is opened up in the next few years to a decade. I really do not see this policy hanging on for much longer.

See ya
Tony


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## digital223 (Dec 19, 2002)

Thank you all for the replies re US tourists visiting Cuba.

I have no intention, of going. My last visit to Cuba was in 1957 to Wilbur Clark's Tropicana Hotel and Casino. The country was beautiful then. Very popular for Americans to visit even for a weekend. That was just prior to Castro's take over.

The hotel was elegant and it employees were gracious. Cubans were and are very friendly. 

Later during the early 1960's a Cuban was hired at my place of employment. 
We became very friendly. He told me he and his family narrowly got out after Castro took over. His father owned a furniture factory, and also had large financial assets, which he had to abandon in order to come to the USA.


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