[House Document 105-221]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



105th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 105-221


 
                    TELECOMMUNICATIONS PAYMENTS TO
                        THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA
                      FROM UNITED STATES PERSONS

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  FROM

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              TRANSMITTING

THE SEMIANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD JULY 1 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 1997, 
DETAILING PAYMENTS MADE TO CUBA BY ANY UNITED STATES PERSON AS A RESULT 
OF THE PROVISION OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES AUTHORIZED BY THE CUBAN 
           DEMOCRACY ACT OF 1992, PURSUANT TO 22 U.S.C. 6032




  March 4, 1998.--Message referred to the Committee on International 
                  Relations and ordered to be printed

                               ________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
59-011                     WASHINGTON : 1998



To the Congress of the United States:
    This report is submitted pursuant to 1705(e)(6) of the 
Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, 22 U.S.C. 6004(e)(6) (the 
``CDA''), as amended by section 102(g) of the Cuban Liberty and 
Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996, Public Law 104-
114 (March 12, 1996), 110 Stat. 785, 22 U.S.C. 6021-91 (the 
``LIBERTAD Act''), which requires that I report to the Congress 
on a semiannual basis detailing payments made to Cuba by any 
United States person as a result of the provision of 
telecommunications services authorized by this subsection.
    The CDA, which provides that telecommunications services 
are permitted between the United States and Cuba, specifically 
authorizes the President to provide for payments to Cuba by 
license. The CDA states that licenses may be issued for full or 
partial settlement of telecommunications services with Cuba, 
but may not require any withdrawal from a blocked account. 
Following enactment of the CDA on October 23, 1992, a number of 
U.S. telecommunications companies successfully negotiated 
agreements to provide telecommunications services between the 
United States and Cuba consistent with policy guidelines 
developed by the Department of State and the Federal 
Communications Commission.
    Subsequent to enactment of the CDA, the Department of the 
Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) amended the 
Cuban Assets Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 515 (the 
``CACR''), to provide for specific licensing on a case-by-case 
basis for certain transactions incident to the receipt or 
transmission of telecommunications between the United States 
and Cuba, 31 C.F.R. 515.542(c), including settlement of charges 
under traffic agreements.
    The OFAC has issued eight licenses authorizing transactions 
incident to the receipt or transmission of telecommunications 
between the United States and Cuba since the enactment of the 
CDA. None of these licenses permits payments to the Government 
of Cuba from a blocked. account. For the period July 1 through 
December 31, 1997, OFAC-licensed U.S. carriers reported 
payments to the Government in Cuba in settlement of charges 
under telecommunications traffic agreements as follows:

AT&T Corporation (formally, American Telephone and 
    Telegraph Company)..................................     $11,991,715
AT&T de Puerto Rico.....................................         298,916
Global One (formerly, Sprint Incorporated)..............       3,180,886
IDB WorldCom Services, Inc. (formerly, IDB 
    Communications, Inc.)...............................       4,128,371
MCI International, Inc. (formerly, MCI Communications 
    Corporation)........................................       4,893,699
Telefonica Larga Distancia de Puerto Rico, Inc..........         105,848
WilTel, Inc. (formerly, WilTel Underseas Cable, Inc.)...       5,608,751
WorldCom, Inc. (formerly, LDDS Communications, Inc.)....       2,887,684
                                                        ----------------
      Total.............................................      33,095,870

    I shall continue to report semiannually on 
telecommunications payments to the Government of Cuba from 
United States persons.

                                                William J. Clinton.
    The White House, March 4, 1998.

                                
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