Despite the fact that DirecTV has somehow managed to wrestle MSG HD away from the grasp of Cablevision (the station's owner), most other carriers aren't having as much luck. A recent post by Verizon's Eric Rabe slams Cablevision for its refusal to cooperate with the Cable Act's program access rules in high-definition, noting that it has resorted to going back to the FCC in an attempt to force things forward. Rabe even calls Verizon out, noting that "it's pretty obvious that Cablevision is trying to circumvent the FCC's program access rules by denying Verizon MSG in HD." We don't doubt that there are two sides (one of which is being hidden here) to this story, but in theory, we have to agree that we wish MSG HD was available for more providers. So yeah, go get 'em Verizon -- just don't get too cocky.

[Thanks, Tim]

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]

Believe it or not, it appears that DirecTV has somehow wrangled both MSG HD and FSN NY HD away from Cablevision -- or, at least they've agreed to share. Whatever the case, users across the web are now reporting that the aforementioned channels are indeed available through the satellite operator, giving Rangers, Knicks, Sabers, Devils and Islanders fans (just to name a few) a very worthwhile reason to celebrate. Two more down, lots more to go.

[Thanks, Jim S.]