DIGITAL DIVIDE IN RURAL AREAS

That this House notes that residents in Devon can only receive a mobile telephone signal by standing on a bench behind a public toilet; recognises that this is symptomatic of a digital divide in rural areas of the UK, and in particular in South West England, where only 55 per cent. of homes have access to the Internet; and believes that future mobile services must combine both satellite and ground components so that everybody, regardless of location, can have better access to essential services, timely information and the economic benefits of 21st century communications.