Rural Broadband Debate

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Rural Broadband

Jesse Norman Excerpts
Wednesday 23rd March 2011

(13 years, 7 months ago)

Westminster Hall
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Rory Stewart Portrait Rory Stewart
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Absolutely.

Jesse Norman Portrait Jesse Norman (Hereford and South Herefordshire) (Con)
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I would like to reinforce a suggestion that has already been made twofold; I echo both suggestions that have been made so far. We have had a second summit in Herefordshire. We have been one of the very fortunate recipients of the first pilots, for which I am enormously grateful to the Minister and to officials. The overwhelming feedback that has come through has picked up both the mobile point and the point about 100% coverage in rural areas. That is regarded as the basic requirement. There is a sense of digital entitlement that will not be thwarted. That means an interesting mix of technologies, which takes us that final mile to the person who is living in the mountains.

Rory Stewart Portrait Rory Stewart
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Those were two very important and effective interventions. Mobile telephone coverage is better in Kabul than in Cumbria. Any of us who travels around Europe will find that the coverage is much better in the Norwegian fjords than it is in Cornwall or Wales. That really matters for us.