Ulster Unionist MP Tom Elliott has urged the Government to live up to its obligations on rural broadband.
Mr Elliott was speaking in the House of Commons as the Digital Economy Bill reached its final stages.
Tom Elliott MP said:
“In society today internet access is becoming just as fundamental as connections to electricity, or running water. Therefore it is troubling that there is such inequality in the standard of broadband across the United Kingdom, with service levels particularly poor in rural areas.
“In Fermanagh & South Tyrone, 62 percent of households have access to superfast broadband, considerably lower than the UK average which is almost 90 percent. In fact 1 in 10 premises in the constituency have to endure speeds of less than 2 megabytes per second, which is beneath the threshold required to use government services online.
“The Digital Economy Bill introduces a Universal Service Obligation giving consumers a legal right to request speeds of at least 10 megabytes per second, which a quarter of premises in my constituency do not enjoy currently.
“This is a welcome move and something which I have been lobbying for during my time in Parliament, however the Government should show even more ambition going forward, and it is important that industry and the Government live up to their obligations in this regard.
“Where you live in the United Kingdom should not determine your access to broadband, and it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure this is not the case.”
ENDS