It’s good to talk during lockdown
“It’s good to talk”Bob Hoskins said in a memorable TV ad.
And never has that been more true than now.
And while the Scottish Government’s advice remains clear -‘Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save lives.’we all know it’s tough.
Many of us are cut off from our friends and family. Social distancing means we can’t see them in person. And a lot of people feel isolated.
That’s especially true of folk in hospital.
With no visitors allowed, patients don’t even have the solace of a bit of chat when their nearest and dearest visit.
Days in bed can seem long and lonely.
My mum has been in hospital recently. She had a wee fall and is fine now.
But she was desperate for visitors, and upset when the nurses explained she couldn’t have any.
They told me lots of old people don’t have mobile phones or devices allowing them to see, as well as hear, from their family.
So my parliamentary office set up a crowdfunder to buy some from local businesses.
I’m delighted to say we’ve raised £1500 - and the equipment is en route to our constituency hospitals.
At home, lots of people still rely on land lines. The elderly are especially dependent.
But prices charged for calls can be exorbitant.
Customers can rack up huge bills with rip off rates.
That’s why I wrote to the telecoms regulator OFCOM last month calling for companies to protect consumers who rely on landline phones.
I asked for price caps on daytime calls so no one would be hit by punitive charges. And I asked for a guarantee of no phone or internet cut offs during the crisis.
I was delighted to hear back from the OFCOM boss Dame Melanie Dawes last week, promising all data caps will be removed on fixed broadband services.
A series of new and generous landline packages will be introduced, with some companies providing free landline calls.
And vulnerable customers will be prioritised at all times.
But I’d like to see telecoms companies go further.
I want a guarantee nobody’s phone - or internet connection - will be cut off during this pandemic.
It was one of Scotland’s greatest sons Alexander Graham Bell who invented the telephone.
It’s good to think his remarkable legacy is keeping us safe and helping bind us together a century and a half after he unveiled his triumph to the world.