Chris Naylor backs new Rural Roaming Bill
Thousands of Shropshire’s farmers and rural residents will be hoping that a new Westminster law will improve mobile phone services where they live. Chris Naylor, the Liberal Democrats parliamentary candidate for South Shropshire is backing the bill - and calling for residents to let him know of mobile phone reception problems locally.
Chris Naylor, pictured by his local phone mast, said, “I - and rural residents near me, by the Long Mynd - struggle to get any consistent mobile phone connection. Yet I’m only 2 miles from my powerful local mast. Indeed my signal has reduced not improved in recent years.”
"Many farmers here have to resort to private sector alternatives, causing extra expense - and often with less reach than a good mobile signal. And of course walkers and rescue teams can encounter seriously difficult conditions high up on the Mynd - they need a good signal too.”
“So I’m backing this Bill and hoping the Government see sense and back it too."
Presenting her new Bill in the House of Commons Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire said, “Across Shropshire there are hundreds of ‘not-spots’ where residents can’t get any phone signal with their provider. I want to help rural communities and businesses by boosting phone signal and banishing black spots. I’m really proud to present my Rural Roaming Bill to Parliament for its first reading."
"The Rural Roaming Bill would oblige firms like BT, O2 and Three to work together to make sure there is signal provided to all in areas when that is the only option."
Referring to concerns that current withdrawal of the copper landline network may leave rural residents with little or no phone service, Helen Morgan continued:
"If the Government is going to reform landline networks, it has to equip rural areas with the ability to access mobile signal as fairly as their urban counterparts first - otherwise this is an accident waiting to happen.”
Chris Naylor is inviting local South Shropshire residents to let him know at chris.naylor@ssld.org.uk about problems with mobile phone reception, and concerns about withdrawal of the copper landline network - and suggestions how to do things better.