Slider - Karl McCartney

The long parliamentary campaign to bring mobile coverage to rural areas ended in victory today, as OFCOM finally announced proposals to increase broadband coverage to an estimated 98% of the UK population.

Traditionally, up to 6 million people in Britain have been excluded from good mobile coverage, particularly in rural areas. (Mobile phone companies were only obliged to cover 95 % of the population, 90 % of the time). Mr M^cCartney was one of the leaders of the campaign to increase the coverage.

Karl was very happy to support a back-bench business committee debate urging OFCOM to increase the coverage to at least 98 % of the population and was happy to see that the motion was carried unanimously at the end of a 3 hour debate. Mr M^cCartney also spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on the issue of rural broadband on 23 March 2011.

In October, the Chancellor of the Exchequer responded to the debate by committing an extra £150 million pounds to build thousands of new mobile phone masts to cover rural areas. In November the Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee slammed OFCOM’s coverage target of 95% as ‘unambitious’ and backed Mr M^cCartney’s call for a 98% coverage obligation.

In today’s announcement, OFCOM proposes options which should ensure that 98% or more of the population receives 4G mobile broadband coverage. This means that millions who currently do not have a mobile signal will now receive one, and that millions more will have their signal upgraded from a 2G ‘voice’ signal to a 4G signal, capable of carrying broadband data.

This investment will transform the fortunes of thousands of small and medium sized businesses, currently hamstrung by inadequate mobile phone and internet coverage. Hundreds of thousands of homes, schools, farms and businesses will have access to decent mobile and internet coverage for the first time.

Karl said, “I am delighted that OFCOM has taken this decision and I am very grateful to them. To the south of Lincoln are suburbs and rural areas, within myconstituency but outside the city boundary, and including Bracebridge Heath and Waddington, that still have problems with a lack of suitable broadband provision. These proposals to increase broadband coverage will transform the businesses and economy in our County and Country.”

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For further information, please contact Karl M^cCartney MP at karl.mccartney.mp@parliament.uk

Lincoln MP Karl M^cCartney has received an apology from the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over information that they failed to include in the publication of the latest Register of Members’ Financial Interests. This issue was raised in the Lincolnshire Echo on Thursday 30^th September.

Donations made public this week in the Register should have stated that they were made specifically for Mr M^cCartney’s election campaign, but instead no reason of any kind had been stated. It has been confirmed that Karl made correct submissions in both writing and verbally.

Donations can be made to candidates for their election campaign, including trade unions making donations to the campaign of Labour Party candidates.

The Register has now been updated and the amendments will be included in the next online and paper versions of the Register, to be produced in October.

Lincoln MP, Karl M^cCartney, said: “I am pleased that this matter is being cleared up. With all the scrutiny that MP’s are rightly under, it is important for the people of Lincoln to be confident that they have an MP representing them who upholds the highest standards.”

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For further information please contact Karl M^cCartney MP at karl.mccartney.mp@parliament.uk

Karl’s campaign for rural mobile coverage triumphs

Lincoln’s MP Receives Apology Over Expenses Omission