WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT FIOS?!?!??!??!?!!!!!

[ssetta]

More interesting would be the situation in Barnstable (Cape Cod), Dukes (Martha's Vineyard) and Nantucket Counties. Historically, the majority of OTA viewing had been of Providence stations (especially in the Upper Cape and Vineyard); however, these counties are in the Boston DMA and there is a cultural connection there based on many residents being Boston transplants. Comcast offers both markets' signals in these areas. What does FIOS do?

You're definitely right, that would be a more interesting situation. I don't think FiOS is available on Cape Cod, at least as of yet. Though I think the town of Wareham, which is right on the border of the Cape, has FiOS, and only carries the Boston stations.

 

[BRNout]

You're definitely right, that would be a more interesting situation. I don't think FiOS is available on Cape Cod, at least as of yet. Though I think the town of Wareham, which is right on the border of the Cape, has FiOS, and only carries the Boston stations.

Last I heard, they didn't offer it there yet either. What they do offer apparently is Direct TV. And, as far as Direct TV is concerned, you're in the Boston DMA and may be able to get WMUR from Manchester, NH but not WLNE 6, which is located only 20 miles away! Definitely gives the advantage to Comcast.

 

[fybush]

Last I heard, they didn't offer it there yet either. What they do offer apparently is Direct TV. And, as far as Direct TV is concerned, you're in the Boston DMA and may be able to get WMUR from Manchester, NH but not WLNE 6, which is located only 20 miles away! Definitely gives the advantage to Comcast.

If having Providence TV still matters to the Cape, that is...

When I was in Providence a couple of months ago, it didn't look to me like the stations there were paying any more attention to Cape news and events than the Boston stations do.

I think much of the historic association between Providence-market TV and the Cape stems from the location of channel 6's analog transmitter - and, for many years, of its New Bedford studio. But that studio's long gone, and analog channel 6 will be history in a matter of weeks. WLNE-DT's transmitter is co-located with WJAR and WSBE, and doesn't serve the Cape any better than those stations do...and what's more, WLNE's budget problems probably mean it would take an awfully big story to get their news crews anywhere east of Bristol County on 195.

Progress marches on...

 

[BRNout]

Yes, it is interesting how times change.

I spent many a summer out on the Cape in the 1980s and (back then) very few had cable. It was all OTA television and from the Falmouth and southern Barnstable areas, you got channel 6 well, channel 10 ok and channel 12 snowy. Boston stations did not come in well enough to watch unless you had tropo conditions (at least from where we were). So, everyone watched Providence TV because that's what you got. I know that farther up (Eastham and beyond), people got Boston stations instead.

Because Providence stations spent some time on issues dealing with SE Mass. and (most importantly) coastal weather and water conditions, it seemed a natural fit at the time. And, it made sense because New Bedford was the closest "big" city to where we were. As I said, that was a long time ago.

 

[LA_Guy]

FIOS offers far more HD channels, better quality HD pictures (Comcast puts 3 HD channels into the space that's normally used for two, degrading resolution), far faster Internet and at times better bundles.

Other then that, there's really no difference between them and cable.

 

[4UH8SIMBKAGN]

Verizon FIOS is fiber optic into your home. You're never going to ever get anything better than that. Nothing. I'm so happy to be in a Verizon area.

As for U-Verse, my friend installs AT&T DSL, it's crap. You're getting your video over 1950's copper wires in your home. The fiber optic could end a mile or more from your house. It's worse than the cable service you had 20 years ago.