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BT has announced the next phase in the rollout of its new home phone service, Digital Voice. The programme is a move from analogue to digital landlines, which will see calls being made over a broadband line instead. Following...
Following last week’s speech by the Culture Secretary in which she promised to protect traditional TV (see the RSN article here ), the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee has released its report on the government’s draft...
Last week the Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer, committed to ensuring traditional TV viewers will not be left behind in the digital switchover. In her key-note speech to the Royal Television Society, she unveiled planned research on the future of...
To launch National Rural Crime Action Week 2023, The Countryside Alliance has released the findings of its latest Rural Crime Survey: 97% of respondents said that rural crime was a “significant” issue in their community; 49% did...
Landlines in the UK are going digital, and by 2026 calls will be made over a broadband line. As part of this industry-wide upgrade, BT is rolling out its new home phone service, Digital Voice, on a region-by-region basis,...
A new policy is to be introduced which will ensure that the ‘vast majority of people and businesses’ will be no further than three miles away from a place where they can withdraw cash. In a statement, the government...
The Express Newspaper ran a story last week focusing on the Broadcast 2040 campaign, of which the Rural Services Network is a member. It followed reports of a fall in viewers for broadcast television. However, campaigners warned that...
As you may have seen in our previous newsletters, the Rural Services Network (RSN) is part of a campaign called Broadcast 2040+. This campaign aims to make sure that the government's media policies protect ‘free to air’ broadcast TV and...
Minsters, clinical leaders and health experts have been meeting to discuss how technology can help cut waiting lists and improve care for patients. Following the NHS’s 75th birthday, the NHS Recovery Summit focused on “digital innovation and technology to...
Following on Loneliness Awareness Week, Tracey Crouch MP (Chatham and Aylesford, Con) this week called on the Government to refresh the Loneliness Strategy she launched in 2018: “We started the global conversation on loneliness, thanks to a cross-party...
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Amid reduced public spending, fair resource allocation across regions is crucial. Despite a population larger than Greater London, rural areas receive significantly less funding for essential services, even though delivering these services in rural areas is more expensive.
Economic growth is widely acknowledged as essential for national wealth and prosperity and is a priority for political parties. Rural economies, employing millions and home to a higher proportion of small businesses, have potential for growth if barriers are removed.
Rural residents face distinct healthcare challenges, including limited access to transport, longer distances to medical facilities, an aging demographic, housing inadequacies, digital connectivity gaps, and difficulties recruiting health and care workers.
Rural communities are grappling with a severe affordable housing crisis, marked by high house prices, a lack of affordable housing, elevated living costs, and lower incomes, threatening their sustainability and vitality.
Transport is vital for the quality of life and economic health of rural areas, yet it faces challenges such as infrequent public bus services and less Government funding compared to urban regions.
Rural areas, encompassing a substantial portion of England's population and land, play a pivotal role in combating climate change and achieving the net zero target.
In an increasingly digital world, the lack of robust digital infrastructure in rural areas severely limits access to crucial services and stifles economic growth.
A future-focused vision for rural communities involves not just building the right homes in the right places but also ensuring thriving, sustainable communities.
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