NEIL Hamilton, AM for Mid & West Wales, and Leader of UKIP Wales, has called for better mobile phone coverage for his constituents in Mid & West Wales.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Hamilton, party spokesman for Rural Affairs, said that he was concerned about the level of coverage in his Region.
He highlighted the case of a constituent from Llanon, in Ceredigion, who had written to him to complain about waiting for a bus which did not turn up.
Mr Hamilton said: “Bus companies encourage you to check the website for timetable changes and delays, but he couldn’t do that, because he could not access this on his mobile phone.
“I know the Government is giving a high priority to improving connectivity in the countryside but I’m sure the First Minister would agree with me that a lot is yet to be done.”
The First Minister said that the Government recognised the ever-growing importance of mobile communications in rural areas.
He said that its mobile action plan sets out how it plans to work with the industry and regulator to improve mobile connectivity across the country.
Mr Hamilton, who constantly campaigns for better broadband and mobile phone coverage across Mid & West Wales, said:
“It is ridiculous that the lack of mobile phone coverage is even impacting on people waiting for buses. Welsh Government has consistently failed my constituents, leaving many with little or no broadband in their homes, whilst causing immense difficulty for people trying to run a business. Wales has some of the worst broadband connections in the UK. Out of ten council wards with the slowest broadband speed, six are in Mid & West Wales. The UK Government’s own minimum acceptable download level is 10 Mbps, but still thousands of people in Powys, and the rest of Mid & West suffer average speeds of less than half that. This is totally unacceptable in the second decade of the 21st century.
“Despite announcing greater investment for faster broadband throughout the country, Labour has failed to deliver.
