Ritchie calls for ‘right to effective broadband’ | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

Ritchie calls for ‘right to effective broadband’

SDLP South Down MP Margaret Ritchie has called for the British Government to upgrade the Universal Service Obligation for Broadband to ensure that every household and business in Northern Ireland has a right to effective Broadband, particularly those in rural areas.

broadband2Ritchie secured a Westminster debate on the issue and has called for action to tackle digital dereliction.

“David Cameron and the British Government proudly boast about the successes of their ‘digital revolution’, bringing faster broadband to businesses in Britain,” she said.

“But if he visited many of the local businesses in South Down, he would be put to shame by how rural communities like mine have been abandoned and are struggling to secure any effective broadband connection, putting them at a significant competitive disadvantage.

“Rural communities already experience significant isolation. That is being compounded by widespread digital dereliction where businesses, schools and homeowners struggle to reach even basic levels of broadband speed and connectivity.

“While British businesses sore at speeds of over 30Mbps, many in my constituency can’t even reach 2Mbps. The latest OFCOM data confirms that 10Mbps is the basic level required to meet the demands of an average family. So how are businesses in South Down or in other rural areas of the North supposed to compete?

Ritchie added, “This is about more than surfing the internet or checking Facebook. With tendering processes largely exclusively online now and as we move to a ‘digital by default’ assumption for CAP applications, our rural industries are being undermined and marginalised. It cannot continue.”

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Posted by on Jan 14 2016. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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