BT pledge to keep people connected at vital time
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MORAY'S MP has welcomed a commitment by BT to ensure good connectivity for all during the coronavirus lockdown period.
The pledge comes as the whole country is reliant on technology to keep families and friends in touch, businesses afloat and services reaching those in need.
Constituents now have a legal right to request decent, affordable broadband connection from BT under the new Universal Service Obligation (USO) for Broadband. Ofcom defines "affordable" as a service costing £46.10 or less per month.
Conservative Douglas Ross said: "One of the issues that is consistently raised by local people is poor connectivity, but now more than ever this is an urgent issue.
"People are relying on their computers and devices to stay connected with family and friends and to work from home, in line with the government advice.
"BT have written to me to confirm that residents and businesses in Moray can now also benefit from the new legislation which enable local people to request an adequate and affordable broadband service under the new USO for Broadband. This means that at least a 10Mbps download speed and 1Mbps upload, with BT designating Ofcom to deliver this service.
"I’m hopeful the roll-out will happen quickly, although BT, like other businesses at the moment, are facing pressures including staff shortages which will also affect Openreach’s capacity to survey eligible premises as engineers prioritise the maintenance of critical services and vulnerable customers, with resources become increasingly stretched.
"However, people across Moray can undertake an initial check on their eligibility to find out if there are existing BT services already available to them and then place an order, which should help the majority of people."
A 10Mbps connection is deemed enough to enable a good quality experience in using applications like multiple TV streams, HDTV, access to digital public services and online shopping.
Some 83.4% of premises in Moray have access to superfast broadband – at least 30Mbps – or better if they wish to receive it.
