Jamie Stone, MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross - the UK's largest constituency, which includes much of the north and northwest highlands - has met with Chris Bryant, the Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms, to ask him to suspend the geographical target for the Shared Rural Network (SRN). This is something that conservationists and local communities have also been calling for.

SRN is a joint Government and telecoms industry initiative designed to boost 4G connectivity across the UK. This requires the construction of new phone masts, but the program's 95% geographical coverage target has proved controversial, since it requires many scores of masts (plus access tracks) to be built in undeveloped and scenic mountain areas. Many of the sites identified for new masts are uninhabited, and will benefit neither residents nor businesses, bringing entirely unnecessary intrusion to remote landscapes.

In Scotland, there are 260 sites classified as Total Not-Spots, selected mainly to provide landmass coverage and meet the geographical targets of the programme, rather than prioritising communities or transport routes.

Despite local organisations devising a traffic light system to measure the net benefits to local people against damage to natural spaces, neither Building Digital UK nor mobile operators have acknowledged these concerns, claims Jamie Stone.

Earlier this year a coalition of conservation bodies and Highland Community Councils called for a rethink on the more egregious aspects of the SRN programme.

At the time, Thomas Widrow, head of campaigns for the John Muir Trust, said:

"Decisions taken in Westminster are impacting beautiful and incredibly important wild places hundreds of miles away. As a charity whose purpose is to protect wild places, we are alarmed that damage will be inflicted on landscapes and wildlife with no evident public or environmental benefits.

"Rural communities and outdoor enthusiasts alongside environmental organisations are speaking with one voice – we need connectivity where we live and work, not in our most fragile and remote wild places."

In the subsequent few months, new planning applications to build phone masts in remote Total Not-Spots have cropped up almost weekly, in what appears to be a poorly-thought-out and industry-led rush to develop, at a cost of millions of taxpayer pounds. Will the recent change of Government signal a rethink? 

Responding to the issues raised by Jamie Stone, the Government assured him that there would be an imminent review with the Mobile Network Operators, and that an updated plan will be announced.

Additionally, representatives from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology agreed to visit the Highlands to speak with locals about their concerns.

Commenting, Mr Stone said:

"It was a constructive meeting in which the Minister and civil servants recognised the concerns in the public mind regarding the acceptability of the Shared Rural Network.

"I am glad they have agreed to come to the Highlands to meet with local communities. It is only right that they speak directly with those who will be affected by this initiative. They simply must bring communities with them in their decision making.

"Additionally, I raised my concerns with the Minister regarding the RTS switch off next year, and the impact this could have on the price of people's energy bills. I have been assured that they will look at how the Shared Rural Network could be used to tackle this problem and recognise there is a degree of urgency regarding the timing.

"I hope that this meeting goes some way in relieving the concerns of my constituents. However, the proof will be in the pudding and I will be holding the Government to account on the assurances they have given me."