Even for urban areas, sometimes the options are less than thrilling. A perfect example is Boston. Since Mayor Menino won't give Verizon a significant tax brea

Even for urban areas, sometimes the options are less than thrilling. A perfect example is Boston. Since Mayor Menino won't give Verizon a significant tax break, Verizon refuses to consider a FIOS deployment. Surrounding cities such as Cambridge and Somerville (which are next door), Quincy, Watertown, Waltham, Newton, etc... they all have FIOS. In Boston your options are the incumbent Comcast or being limited to DSL via Verizon. We're the hole in the fiber donut (ferrule). http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/boston-a-copper-hole-in-the-fiber-donut-demands-fios.ars http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/boston-a-cop... It's probably not as bad for students since the number of well-regarded schools here is very significant, and all of which have far superior options. However to live in one of the bigger tech hubs in the country and to deal with these sorts of limitations is nothing short of ridiculous.