Tech eyes Cuban payday

Technology companies see a potential windfall in the Obama Administration’s decision to ease trade restrictions with Cuba -- and they’re racing to cash in.

The historic announcement is leading to a rush of business interest to plug Cuba into the rest of the world. While the landmark change in policy is still in its infancy and companies have a long way to go before they feel comfortable spending millions on new projects, officials are eagerly working the phones to iron out how they might bring Cuba into the 21st Century. “You’ve got a greenfield,” said Scott Belcher, the head of the Telecommunications Industry Association. “You can leap over the last five generations of telecommunications technology and build out a pretty robust system,” he added. “In that sense it’s a wonderful opportunity. It’s the least developed telecommunications system in the Americas.”