A community fed-up with sluggish internet connection speeds has enlisted the support of its MP to push for superfast broadband.
Frustrated locals in Clydach, six miles from Abergavenny, are unhappy that BT Openreach has not brought next generation fibre broadband to homes in the village.
Residents of Dan-y-Coed and surrounding streets met with Monmouth MP David Davies on Thursday to voice concerns, describing their broadband service as “not fit for purpose”.
Complaints include speeds as low as 0.8Mb and the connection regularly dropping out altogether.
Robert Evans, who lives in Dan-y-Coed, said: “Broadband in our community is absolute rubbish and completely inadequate.
“It is not just me but the whole of Clydach that’s experiencing great difficulty. The problem has got worse in recent years as there are now more people living in the area due to housing development at Llwyn Melyn.
“It is putting extra burden on a very old infrastructure system that has not been upgraded for many years.
“Access to the internet in this day and age is a necessity, not a luxury, and we feel as though we are being deprived.”
Neighbour Helen McCloy said she was worried that young people’s education, especially those attending school, college or university, may be suffering.
“We are having to take our children to relatives’ homes in Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr with better broadband speeds to complete any online homework,” she said.
“This is totally unacceptable. Some residents work from home and are also struggling.
“BT say high-speed fibre broadband is unlikely to be rolled-out in Clydach until 2018. And that’s if we are lucky.”
David Davies MP heard that residents in Dan-y-Coed, where there are 26 properties, had been hit with a “double whammy” after losing a communal satellite dish – leaving them with no access to Sky TV and only eight basic Freeview channels.
He was told online streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Instant Video were not a viable alternative due to the area’s poor broadband.
“There can be few areas of modern life which are not influenced in some way by broadband and television, whether it’s supporting how we work, how we learn, how we communicate with friends and family, or how we entertain ourselves,” said Mr Davies.
“I recently met with BT Cymru Wales in Westminster to discuss broadband deployments in Monmouthshire. While much work has already been done, there is certainly more to do – especially in not-spots such as Clydach.
“I want to see action taken so that everybody has access to good quality broadband and I will press the issue with both BT and the Welsh Government.”
Mr Davies added he would also be exploring other options including satellite broadband, which he helped to successfully install in The Bryn near Abergavenny in 2012.