An MP is campaigning for the communications regulator to change its code to get a fairer deal for mobile phone users in parts of Scotland which still suffer poor or no signal.
Customers who sign up to a mobile phone contract are stuck in that contract for the duration of the term, usually between 18 and 24 months, even in areas where the reception or broadband is still poor or non-existent.
Drew Hendry, the SNP's MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey has highlighted recent changes instituted by Ofcom to the Code of Practice that applies to broadband and landline services.
He said users can get out of their contract at any time if the provider fails to provide sufficient reliable service.
Mr Hendry has written to the regulator's chief executive, Sharon White and Communications Minister Ed Vaizey MP asking for similar regulations to apply to mobile phone contacts.
He said: "Having a mobile phone is now a vital part of everyday life for the majority of those in Scotland.
"They are of course great for socialising, but they are also requirement for many business, especially small businesses, who simply cannot operate without them.
"The Scottish Government is providing a great amount of support in its goal of making Scotland a 'world-leading digital nation' by 2020, however too much of Scotland, especially rural areas suffer from a lack of service.
"Ofcom have rightly stepped in to allow broadband and landline users an option of getting out of their contracts if their service drops to an unacceptable level. My proposal, which I have raised with Ofcom and the UK Government, is to extend this right to mobile phone contracts and ensure that people are not stuck paying month-in-month-out for a completely useless device."
The MP added it was "manifestly unfair" to expect people to be stuck for up to two years with phones providing poor or no signals at all.
He called on Ofcom to amend the code for mobile phones, just as they have done for broadband and landlines.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article