Massachusetts
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Verizon announces FiOS TV for North Andover, Massachusetts
If it's not New York, it's Massachusetts -- well, with Oregon thrown in every now and then to keep up appearances. You guessed it -- Verizon is lighting up yet another town in the Bay State, this time heading almost to New Hampshire in order to do so. The latest city in MA to approve a cable franchise for Verizon is North Andover, though there's no word on when the outfit will actually start accepting orders. Keep those phones ringing, though.
Taunton, Massachusetts next to receive Verizon's FiOS TV
Another locale in Massachusetts in line to receive FiOS TV? It just can't be! All sarcasm aside, another city in the Bay State is in fact waiting in tense anticipation to have the recently approved Verizon agreement lead to something tangible. Residents of Taunton can thank Mayor Charles Crowley for granting the operator a cable franchise, bringing the total amount of Massachusetts communities where Verizon's FiOS TV is or will soon be available to 71. According to Crowley, "the signing of this agreement will mean that the citizens of Taunton will have a choice for their cable TV needs, and the competitive environment that will exist here in Taunton will ensure that our families will realize competitive prices as well." Now, the unknown wait for service to actually become available begins.
Verizon to apply for FiOS TV permit in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
If you've been casually paying attention to just how much love Verizon is giving Massachusetts, you won't be shocked at all to learn that Mayor Lisa Wong has recently announced that said carrier "will apply for a permit to provide cable service to Fitchburg, a move she said could create more competition among cable and internet providers." According to Wong, she's looking forward to having more pressure on pricing in the area, but there's no time frame in which to count on FiOS TV arriving. All we know thus far is that the Fitchburg Cable Advisory Committee will be "called on to work with Verizon to determine the city's technological needs," so hopefully the details get worked out sooner rather than later.[Thanks, Lance]
Massachusetts gets more FiOS TV: Rochester and Walpole welcomed in
Hot on the heels of Lakeville, Massachusetts getting word that it would be receiving Verizon's fiber-based television service comes news that two more Bay State communities will be joining it. Just this week, Verizon began offering up FiOS TV to some 8,500 households in Rochester and Walpole, and if you just so happen to call either of those locales home, you too can phone up the carrier and see if it's within reach. Meanwhile, we're waiting for the day that 100-percent of Massachusetts is FiOS-enabled -- which should happen in like, two months or so.
FiOS TV headed for Lakeville, Massachusetts
Somebody's thinking of you, Lakeville, and that somebody is Verizon. Hot on the heels of two announcements in the state of Virginia comes word that your quaint town will soon be the next to receive FiOS TV access. Just this week, the town approved a cable franchise enabling the carrier to offer its fiber-based TV service to some 4,000 households in the region. When things go live "soon," the Bay State will have 70 different communities that are FiOS TV-enabled, which most definitely makes those of us not situated in New England quite depressed.
Verizon delivers FiOS TV to Hingham, Massachusetts
The Bay State is getting even more love from Verizon, as Hingham becomes the third locale in Massachusetts to get hooked up with FiOS TV access in the past month. The Board of Selectmen in Hingham granted a cable franchise to the carrier earlier this week, which paves the way for 3,000 more households to select Verizon for TV programming should they choose. No word on when exactly service should arrive, but it ought not be long now.
Stephen King goes batty about video games
Stephen King is "the man." He's one of my favorite authors and a very big reason why I'm a writer today. I've followed the ebb and flow of his career, from his meteoric rise (and eventually perpetual stay) on the New York Time's Best Seller list to the the mostly abysmal adaptations of his books to film. Anytime he talks, I tend to listen.So you can imagine my intrigue when King, a man who has never tested the virtual waters (F13 doesn't count) with his magnificent worlds - how great would an MMO set in the world of The Dark Tower be? - voiced his opinion about the proposed Massachusetts bill to ban the sale of "violent" video games to anyone under the age of 18.
Verizon's FiOS TV creeps over to Malden, Massachusetts
As Verizon continues to surround Boston with FiOS, we've got yet another rollout coming that will make those situated in downtown Beantown oh-so-envious. Next up on the list of Massachusetts communities to get access to FiOS TV is Malden, which granted the outfit a cable franchise authorizing it to pipe its fiber-based service to approximately 22,000 households in the area. No official word on a go-live date just yet, but you can start up the countdown for sure.
Stephen King speaks out against violent video game bill
The oft-proclaimed "Master of Horror" never was much of a gamer -- he'll be the first to admit that. That's probably for the best; it would be hard to consistently produce the pants-soiling stories he's known for if he spent his days wasting away in front of his computer, looking for a PUG for the Hellfire Citadel. However, that doesn't mean he'll sit idly by as the gaming industry gets remorselessly hassled by The Man.In a recent column for Entertainment Weekly, Stephen King decried HB 1423, a pending bill in the Massachusetts state legislature, which would outright ban the sale of "violent video games" to minors -- effectively circumventing the ESRB ratings system altogether. King, who knows a thing or two about violence, dissects the bill as eloquently as you'd expect, saying that politicians use pop culture as a "whipping boy," to illicit a passionate response from fans of the beleaguered medium, and to ignore "the elephants in the living room." Wait, you mean the popularity of violent video games isn't the biggest crisis facing the country? Get out of town!
Wareham, Massachusetts gets Verizon's FiOS TV
For TV junkies residing just north of the Cape Cod region, there's a decent chance you'll have one more option when it comes to receiving your programming. Right now, residents of Wareham, Massachusetts can phone up Verizon and see if their domicile is one of the approximately 10,000 more that have access to its FiOS TV service. With this addition, Verizon has covered portions of 66 communities in the Bay State, and while specifics are sorely absent, it does note that negotiations are already underway with several other locales in the state.
Boston Herald editorial questions Mass. game bill
As Massachusetts legislators meet today to discuss HB1423, a bill that would restrict access of minors to video games deemed too violent by the state, the normally obtuse Boston Herald has weighed in on the issue with a shockingly sane editorial.The newspaper lays out that the bill is another example of Boston Mayor Menino, who drafted the bill with Jack Thompson, trying to throw a "big idea against the wall in the hope that it might stick." The paper points out that just yesterday a similar, constitutionally murky bill failed, and asks if "lawmakers sponsoring the bill [are] willing to find money in their budgets to fight the inevitable court challenge?" The Boston Herald piece concludes that the mayor needs to make better use of his time than going after "such low-hanging fruit." We don't know about low-hanging, but it's definitely rotten and is going to cause taxpayers financial pain later between court costs and inevitably paying back the ESA for wasting its time.[Via GamePolitics]
Mass. legislators considering 'games-as-porn' bill
Tomorrow the Massachusetts legislature will discuss a bill that would make it illegal for minors to buy video games deemed too violent by the state (not through ESRB ratings such as M or AO). No similar law exists for movies, music or books. House Bill 1423 is dubbed a "games-as-porn" bill because the rationale used to prevent minors from buying violent video games is the same used on porn. The original bill was drafted by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (pictured) with assistance from Jack Thompson and legislative sponsor Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry (D).GamePolitics points out HB1423 is based on a failed Utah bill and, given the history of other similar bills, it seems odd that Massachusetts would potentially be putting itself (and taxpayer dollars) at risk of repaying the ESA for fighting this bill in court.
RCN livens up Boston's HD lineup once more
While Verizon seems somewhat uninterested in delving into the heart of Boston with its fiber-based TV service, RCN is pulling out all the stops to stay competitive with those other guys. Just days after gifting Bostonians with the Discovery suite of HD channels, along comes word that seven newcomers have hopped on board since. Effective immediately, users in the region can turn their attention to A&E HD (184), Biography Channel HD (185), History Channel HD (186), Travel Channel HD (188), FX HD (189), Lifetime Movie Network HD (190) and CNN HD (192). Now, if only Josh Beckett would get healthy (and in a hurry), all would well in the world, eh?[Thanks, Michael J.]
Verizon tiptoeing around Boston with FiOS rollouts?
All in all, the Bay State most certainly isn't hurting for access to FiOS TV, but curiously enough, downtown Boston has yet to be touched by Verizon's fiber-based services. More specifically, the areas of Boston, Brookline, Somerville, Cambridge, Everett, Revere, Chelsea, Medford, Melrose, Watertown and Quincy have yet to be reached by Verizon's recent expansion efforts, and for whatever reason, it seems that may be the case for some time to come. According to a response by Boston's Mayor on the situation, Verizon has "declined the city's repeated encouragement to enter a cable franchise negotiation, opting instead to slowly build in the suburbs." Granted, it's not unusual for the firm to target the outskirts, but it's certainly not pleasing news for Bostonians holding out for FiOS.[Thanks, Jason K.]
RCN unleashes four new HD options in Boston, Massachusetts
Hey, non-Comcast users in the greater Boston area -- feeling a touch of envy after the aforementioned carrier gifted its subscribers with Sci-Fi HD and Animal Planet HD last month? For those of you with RCN, your provider has done you one, er, two better. Reportedly, RCN has added four new high-definition channels to its lineup: Animal Planet HD, TLC HD, Discovery Channel HD and Science Channel HD. Needless to say, you'll be doing a lot of brain feeding in between Celtics matchups from here on out.[Thanks, Michael J.]
Verizon rolling FiOS TV to Abington, Massachusetts
Although you won't find any FiOS-infested furniture stores in Abington, Verizon is bringing its fiber-based TV service to yet another town in the state of Massachusetts. Thanks to receiving a cable franchise in the region, the provider is gearing up to route its service to 5,000 more households, and when complete, The Bay State will have 66 FiOS TV-capable communities. Unfortunately, there's no definitive launch date set just yet, but judging by history, we'd guess that it won't be long now before orders are being taken.
Verizon to push FiOS TV in Massachusetts furniture store
If you thought partnering up with the always vocal Michael Bay was an interesting move for Verizon, get a load of this. Apparently, the carrier has teamed up with Jordan's Furniture in order to setup FiOS TV demonstrations within a "lifestyle store" in the Reading, Massachusetts location, and in case that wasn't enough, it's already established kiosks at the Jordan's Furniture at Beantown in Reading and on Bourbon Street in Natick. Additionally, a kiosk will be headed to Jordan's Avon locale, and the company's two IMAX theaters (in Reading and Natick) will soon sport all sorts of Verizon paraphernalia thanks to the provider snapping up naming rights. C'mon Verizon, we appreciate all the hard work in New England, but seriously, there's a lot more country out there beyond the Northeast. %Gallery-16703%
Norfolk, Massachusetts: get ready for FiOS TV
For the third time in just two months, we're hearing that Verizon is planning to take its FiOS TV service to yet another nook in Massachusetts. This time around, it's the residents of Norfolk who can celebrate, as the Board of Selectmen in the town granted a cable franchise to VZW earlier this week. Thanks to the thumbs-up, some 2,700 more Bay State households are well on their way to having access to FiOS TV, and while a concrete date wasn't laid out for when those citizens could place their orders, we doubt it'll be long now.
WiFi coming to Massachusetts commuter trains
It's coming to planes, so it was bound to make its way onto trains. According to a report, a 45-mile commuter railroad line in Massachusetts is about to get a WiFi upgrade, bringing wireless connections to more than 18,000 passengers across 17 stations. Utilizing Sprint's EV-DO service, this will be the largest deployment of train-based WiFi outside of Europe and will bring access to 45 coach cars in the line. "There is not one commuter rail system in the country that has this right now," said Kris Erickson, MBTA deputy chief of staff, adding, "We know there are going to be some technical glitches, but we want to get in there and test it in a real environment and get a much better idea how to do it." The plan is to eventually bless all 13 commuter lines in Massachusetts with wireless capabilities, thus allowing networked games of Sid Meier's Railroads! to actually be played while on a railroad.[Via Wi-Fi Networking News]
FiOS TV flipped on in Rowley, Massachusetts
Sure, it's a bit late to enjoy over your holiday break, but merely weeks after we first heard that Verizon's FiOS TV was headed to Rowley, Massachusetts, the service is available to order. You heard right, folks -- if you happen to reside in one of the 1,800 or so Rowley-area homes that VZW saw fit to cover, you can phone up the provider now and get hooked up. Meanwhile, we'll just twiddle our thumbs and pretend to not be envious of your newfound option.
