Therese will raise the plight of vulnerable residents living on the Deben Peninsula and other isolated areas in Parliament tomorrow in a debate on the planned withdrawal of the copper wire telecommunications network.
During the Westminster Hall session, she will describe the impact of the changes on rural areas with poor mobile signal and raise concerns from a number of residents who already feel isolated in power cuts. She feels that without urgent action, the planned withdrawal of the copper wire network and replacement with digital by 2025, will exacerbate the situation. As analogue telephone lines have a built-in power supply which allows the telephone to work without an independent power supply, whereas digital telephone lines run through a broadband router.
Therese said: “Whenever there is a power outage residents share with me their deep concern at the lack of light, broadband, TV, hot meals and, crucially, limited access to the outside world via telephone. Many feel very vulnerable and anxious that they won’t be able to contact anyone in an emergency and the transition away from copper without adequate mobile signal is a real worry.”
Therese added: “I have also written to Ofcom expressing my concern at their mobile coverage maps, which often relies upon predictions from providers rather than the reality on the ground. Meaning there is an assumption of adequate signal, which is often not the case. We can’t end up in a situation where the existing network is taken away based on these inaccurate assumptions, leaving people in a vulnerable position. I will be calling on the government, Ofcom and service providers to tackle this issue before it’s too late.”
