We know the holidays are just around the bend, but the installers at Verizon aren't taking an early leave. This week, more Southern California homes and businesses were gifted with FiOS TV, particularly in areas of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Over on the right coast, residents in Blasdell, Kenmore and Lackawanna (New York) are joining the FiOS TV crowd, while prospective buyers in Staten Island now have a retail outlet to visit. Moving on, locals in Chester, Pennsylvania should see the service launch later this month, while subscribers in Portland, Oregon now have access to 102 HD channels. Finally, the Washington, D.C. council has unanimously approved, with one abstention, legislation authorizing Verizon to offer its fiber-based programming service to District residents. Somehow, we get the idea this won't get through without a fight from one particularly angry cable carrier. Like we said, busy week.

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Feelin' pretty good about all those new HD channels, are ya Staten Island? For those still not content, how's about a little HD Movie on Demand action? A friendly resident has just sent in a screenshot proving that the service has indeed launched on channel 700, even though he wasn't expecting it until June. Per usual, we've no idea how quickly slowly Time Warner Cable will spread the goods to other areas of New York, but with all of the systems transitioning to digital, we'd guess the wait shouldn't be too long. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, UnnDunn]

Lookee here, it's all coming true. The bits we heard about a massive HD rollout coming to Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, NY (not to mention New Jersey) are now being confirmed by Time Warner Cable. On April 30th, the three previously highlighted areas will have access to 50 HD channels, while those very stations will be available to all digital subscribers in Manhattan (!!!), New Jersey, the Hudson Valley region and Mt. Vernon "later this year." Additionally, TWC is gearing up to add over 250 HD VOD options, launch Enhanced HDTV (which includes Start Over) and position itself "to carry 100 high-definition channels" in NY and NJ by the close of 2008. Progress is a wonderful thing, innit? Check the full list of upcoming HD channels in the read link. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

Time Warner Cable has been toying with the heartstrings of Brooklyn / Queens, New York residents for months now with a succulent lineup of HD additions. Nevertheless, new verbiage from the carrier explains that said newcomers will actually hit the aforementioned boroughs on April 30th (as in, for real this time). Additionally, well-stocked Staten Island will be picking up a few more high-def options on the same day, so click on through to take a look at what to expect in just over a month. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, UnnDunn and Jason]

Just as we expected, Time Warner Cable is delivering five new HD channels to its all-digital Staten Island market, and while midtown NYC gets left out (again), folks braving the chill up in Syracuse have three more reasons to stay indoors. Aside from gaining NY1 on slot 701, Staten Island residents will also see the Discovery suit showing up in their EPG, which includes Science Channel HD (775), TLC HD (752), Discovery HD (766) and Animal Planet HD (786). As for Syracuse, locals in the region can now tune into History Channel HD (818), TBS HD (822) and CNN HD (824). As for surrounding areas, we haven't heard anything official concerning the possibility of these networks spreading, but as always, keep a sharp eye on that channel lineup and drop us a line if any newcomers pop up. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Thanks, Vin P. and Michael V.]

We're not certain if this change will affect more than a few key areas of New York and New Jersey (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bergen, Mt. Vernon and Hudson Valley to be precise), but Fox Sports Net New York is set to become MSG Plus in mid-March. As expected, FSN NY HD will also become MSG Plus HD, but channel slots on TWC aren't expected to change. Around the same time, YES HD in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island will be relocating from channel 730 to 753, while NY1 HD gets added to the Time Warner Cable lineup in Woodside and Staten Island (only, unfortunately) on slot 701. For subscribers on Staten Island, you can also look forward to seeing Discovery HD (766), Animal Planet HD (786), TLC HD (752) and Science Channel HD (755). Needless to say, Manhattan gets the proverbial shaft yet again, but we'll keep you posted if things change. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]