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Cuban authorities said that they would begin offering public Internet access at more than 100 cybersalons across the island, where residential access is greatly restricted.

People can sign up with the state telecom company Etecsa for temporary or permanent accounts to use at one of the 118 centers, according to a measure enacted with its publication in the government’s Official Gazette. Prices are prohibitive. Indeed, some scoffed at the new computer centers’ price tag of $4.50 an hour. That is a stiff fee when state salaries average about $20 per month, although there are an array of subsidized goods and services. “It’s a real bargain,” said a user on the state news Web site Cuba Si who gave the name Osvaldo Ulloa. “I mean, I work for a week and then I can get online for hour — fabulous.” Until now, the Internet has been limited to places like tourist hotels, which charge $8 an hour for Wi-Fi; foreign-run companies; and some sectors of Cuban business and government. Home dial-up accounts are rare and restricted.

SoftBank of Japan has reached a tentative agreement to win national security clearance for its $20.1 billion bid for Sprint Nextel, surmounting one of the biggest hurdles to the deal.

To pass the review by a government panel, both SoftBank and Sprint agreed to a number of concessions, people briefed on the matter said. For example, the companies will give the United States veto power over a director on the new Sprint’s board, the member who would be responsible for overseeing compliance with national security, these people said. The government panel, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or Cfius, had until midnight May 28 to render its verdict. An announcement by the two companies could come as soon as May 29, one of these people said.

First Austin, Texas, announced it would join Kansas City to become the next local government to receive the Google Fiber treatment. Then Provo, Utah, joined the list, as Google plans to overhaul the city’s existing network. The Internet giant also is spreading its fiber buildout from Kansas City to the adjacent regions.

Many have questioned whether Google may eventually spread its networks across the entire nation, offering gigabit access for all. Though it seems feasible given the interest Google has shown in fiber, there are many reasons we won't ever see massive deployment, the most notable reasons being costs and regulations. The Internet today is like an ’88 Michael Jordan: Everyone knew there was something great there, but they didn’t know he was going to win six championships and completely transform the game. Despite the difficulty in creating a nationwide gigabit network, such a thing has the potential to unlock applications and capability not yet dreamed of. Google Senior Communications Associate Jenna Wandres recently said that high-speed Internet really is the future and that governments have and will continue to play an important role in that development.

President Barack Obama will discuss cybersecurity with Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two leaders meet in California next week, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.