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InformationWhat is BiGDiG? BiGDiG – or “Broadband in Greater Devauden interest Group” – was formed in April 2012 by a group of local volunteers, responding to an invitation from Monmouthshire County Council’s Adventa team to apply for financial assistance in bringing the benefits of faster broadband to Devauden and the surrounding area. Why is BiGDiG important? If you are an internet user in Devauden or any of the surrounding villages, you almost certainly experience download speeds below the minimum level judged by the UK Government and the Welsh Government to be acceptable (2Mbps). As internet services develop, what was once acceptable is rapidly becoming unacceptable. Small businesses in particular need reliable and fast connections for downloading and uploading data. Devauden is served by the Wolvesnewton exchange, which does not appear in BT’s published plans for roll-out of fibre optic broadband services. If Devauden is allowed to remain a “Not-Spot” for high-speed broadband, this will start to have an adverse impact on property values, as buyers opt for better-connected locations. Grants of up to £1,000 per household are currently available from the Welsh Government towards the installation costs of faster broadband infrastructure. In practice, no single householder or business could achieve a fast service at reasonable cost acting alone. This is where BiGDiG comes in. Our aim is to work with all residents and businesses in and around Devauden, assisting with grant applications, negotiating with suppliers and developing a community-wide approach to take us from “Not-Spot” to “Hot-Spot”. For more information about BiGDiG visit the Community Page . What can I do? If you agree that faster broadband services are important to the
community, please support BiGDiG by registering your interest. You can
do this now by completing the form on our registration page.
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