‘People need to know’ – Helen urges minister to update rural residents on copper wire switch off

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has urged the Government to reassure rural residents that proper back-up plans will be in place ahead of the copper wire phone network being switched off next year.

The MP has written to the Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms, Sir Chris Bryant MP, regarding the change which will see the traditional phone network shut down and replaced with broadband phone connections.

Key concerns about the changes include whether people will be able to communicate during power cuts because, unlike the traditional phone network, broadband connections need power for people to be able to make phone calls. In places where mobile phone signal is poor, residents would be left with no way of making a phone call.

Helen has been campaigning on the issue for some time, hosting a cross-party roundtable in Parliament with national telecoms firms and other organisations, as well as petitioning her constituents on her proposal to introduce ‘Rural Roaming’, a scheme to ensure there is a base level of signal in the most rural and poorly connected parts of the country.

The current date agreed to switch off copper wire landlines is December 2025, just 15 months away. Despite this, little visible progress has been made by the government or industry bodies.

In her letter to the Minister, Helen argued that the lack of signal in much of North Shropshire makes it crucial that a mobile connection is not the only back-up option for people when broadband signal is lost. This has a particular impact during flooding and power cuts, which are common in many parts of the constituency.

Helen is keen to help any constituents who are worried about the changes and is encouraging anyone who lives in North Shropshire and is in need of support to contact her office.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said, “It’s the 21st century – wherever they live, people need to know they will be able to make a phone call when they need to.

“I am highly concerned about the timetable for the copper wire switch-off given that rural areas like North Shropshire continue to have extremely poor mobile phone signal.

“There are too many places in Shropshire where you can’t get any signal at all, and there are even more places where you can only get signal from select providers. This makes a reliable landline connection even more crucial.

“With the switch-off due to take place in just 15 months, it is a real worry that there has been no clear progress made on signal problems. I hope the Government will take my concerns seriously and reassure residents in rural areas that they won’t be forgotten about before this impending deadline.”