‘Lower roaming charges welcome but they should have been abolished’ – Fearon

Sinn Féin South Armagh candidate Megan Fearon has welcomed the introduction of lower EU roaming charges for phone users but said that the charges could and should have been abolished by now.

The lower charges are coming into force ahead of the planned abolition of roaming fees across the EU next year.

An earlier position of the European Parliament would have seen the charges abolished last December but this was extended by national governments on the Council of Ministers with the support of Fine Gael and Labour.

“Roaming charges have been a severe nuisance and injustice to thousands of people living in the border region who daily commute to work daily across the border, resulting in increased phone bills,” she said.

“It is also places a barrier for business start-ups and cross border co-operation as well as those who travel across Europe on holidays.

“Sinn Féin has campaigned strongly at local and EU level for the abolition of roaming charges and while I welcome the latest development, it is regrettable that charges will continue for another year.

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Fearon added, “We will continue to work towards the earliest possible abolition of phone roaming charges and to end discrimination particularly against border residents.”

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Posted by Newry Times News on May 5 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