VICTORIA ATKINS has welcomed a new initiative by the government to improve mobile coverage and end ‘partial not-spots’ – areas where there is coverage from one or more but not all of the four mobile networks – in Louth & Horncastle.
“On my travels around the constituency, I am on the lookout for mobile phone blackspots, where there is no or very poor network coverage,” Victoria said. “For example, I visited residents, voluntary groups and businesses in Woodhall Spa this week, and poor mobile reception in the village was high on their list of priorities.
I am pleased that the Secretary of State, Sajid Javid, is working with mobile operators to encourage voluntary improvements to their networks. If that does not succeed, we should consider whether new laws are required to improve coverage, allowing users to roam between networks.
These efforts go hand-in-hand with my campaign for superfast rural broadband” Victoria declared. “Hamlets, villages and market towns in Louth & Horncastle need to be connected so that businesses can grow, more jobs can be created and lonely, vulnerable people can have security and peace of mind.”
Currently 15.6 per cent of Lincolnshire suffers from these partial not-spots. This poor mobile phone coverage makes it harder for people to communicate and businesses to operate, putting growth and jobs at risk.