Too bad there isn't one on the East Coast...sounds neat.

They're pushing it because, besides themselves (Verizon), the only other real competition they have is Cox. And after a decade or so of state-wide monopoly in Cable TV, I suspect a lot of people are tired of Cox and ready to change. I certainly was. They're also pushing it because the company is sinking tons of money into the fiber rollouts, and they need to be aggressive to ensure they make up their cost. So far I think they're doing pretty well. Now that the mobile phone industry has gotten us all used to signing 2-year contracts to get the best prices, the traditional telco and TV providers are moving in that direction too. The terms are quite similar, I'm sure, and there's no reason for this to change from the providers' perspective. One thing to note, just as with mobile phone pricing, the advertised price doesn't take into account taxes and fees, of which there are plenty.

Coincidentally, there was an event announcement yesterday...here's the beginning of the press release:

"KINGSTON, R.I. – October 12, 2007 – The University of Rhode Island will host a public forum to discuss the results of a report on the feasibility of establishing a research and technology park adjacent to URI’s Kingston campus. The forum will be held Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 2:30 p.m. in the ballroom of the URI Memorial Union."

http://www.uri.edu/news/releases/?id=4166

The post to the URINEWS mailing list yesterday was the first I'd heard of it.