A PETITION to force mobile phone providers to share equipment in rural areas to avoid coverage blackspot is now up and running.
The petition was launched this week by North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan after she introduced a ‘Rural Roaming Bill’ to Parliament last December before it went into recess for Christmas.
Mrs Morgan has called her petition ‘no more not spots’, which she has launched in support of her recent ‘Rural Roaming’ Bill.
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The MP wants to change the law to boost coverage in rural areas like north Shropshire by giving customers access to other networks in places where they don’t usually get signal.
She argues it would be of particular use to farming and agricultural businesses who often suffer as a result of ‘not-spots’ which are covered by other providers.
“People across Shropshire are fed up of struggling to get signal.
“That's why I'm campaigning to say no more not spots to back our businesses and residents.
“I was really proud to present my Rural Roaming Bill to Parliament and want this campaign to keep up pace.
“There are far too many places across North Shropshire where people can’t get any mobile signal at all, yet a simple legislative change could hugely improve connectivity.
“Please sign my petition to make not-spots a thing of the past and connect thousands of people in Shropshire.”
Mrs Morgan’s Rural Roaming Bill was presented to Parliament in December.
It would require telecoms firms like BT, O2 and EE to grant each other access to their technology in areas with little signal.
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This would offer a basic level of coverage for users of all providers.
A petition in support of the bill has now been launched, which the MP wishes to present to Parliament to show the strength of opinion on poor signal locally.
The petition can be signed at https://www.helenmorgan.org.uk/rural-roaming
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