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Modern communications are the key to the prosperity of the countryside
"I am often asked about my focus in Parliament and when I say "broadband", people's faces fall.
The reactions I get imply that they had expected a conversation about high politics but are instead getting electrics and plumbing.
However, the world is relying more and more on broadband, and yet it is concentrated in cities.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to run a business without broadband. DEFRA is putting more and more of its forms online. New dairies face problems if they lose broadband access. B&Bs need to advertise on the internet.
In my constituency of Penrith and the Border, there are more self-employed people and micro-businesses...