NFU Scotland is urging the UK Government to play its part in ensuring that all regions of Scotland have access to adequate mobile phone services.
While many parts of Scotland have satisfactory mobile reception, the Union is well aware that many of its members in remote rural areas struggle daily with poor network coverage.
That presents a very real health and safety issue, in an industry where lone working on more extensive farm units is commonplace. In addition, it also has a detrimental impact on the efficiency of a farm business.
In responding to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's consultation on tackling "not spots" in mobile phone coverage, the Union has called for a concerted effort in achieving improvements with targets on coverage set at a local rather than at a national level.
NFUS policy manager Gemma Thomson went on to say: "The urgent need for better coverage in rural areas has seen a number of our members being approached by Mobile Network Operators to provide "rent free" mast sites in order to improve coverage. The behaviour of those seeking sites has given rise to concerns and landowners should not be pressurised into providing solutions free of charge."
Ian Thornton Kemsley, a consultant surveyor at land agent Strutt and Parker's Banchory office agrees and added: "Landowners are often unaware of their rights when it comes to dealing with telecoms. Operators, who are frequently looking to reduce costs and make other improvements to their lease terms, often attempt to force landowners to sign new lease agreements. Often these attempts are coupled with veiled threats of decommissioning and loss of income for the landowner.
"Furthermore, landowners may be under the impression that there is an obligation for them to permit access or provide additional ground space to operators, although this is not always the case.
"Many operators make demands on the grounds of 'modernisation,' although it is only when this has to comply with new regulations that there is any legal necessity to concede to their demands.
"Landowners are often told that they must cover their own legal costs or are unaware that they can recover costs in some circumstances from the operators. Unless they seek expert advice they may well be doing themselves an injustice. For example, we have advised dozens of landowners and farmers not to agree to any proposed changes to existing leases, all of whom are delighted that two to three years later none of the decommissioning threats have taken place."
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