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Rhode Island internet, a two-wire state with two exceptions

Fiber is available at 86.2% of the 343,860 homes and businesses the FCC counts in Rhode Island, and wired broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps at 97.0%. 80.4% of locations have a choice of two or more wired providers at that speed; at 16.7% there is only one.1

FCC National Broadband Map, availability as of June 30, 2026 (data revised November 10, 2026), as reported by providers.

Northeast region, New England division

Rhode Island is a two-wire state: Cox and Verizon each report service at nine in ten or more of its locations, and fiber was already reported at 79.5%2 of homes and businesses in June 2022. The exceptions are Bristol County, where fiber is rare but two cable networks compete, and Newport County, where fiber arrived after 2022 but one wire is still the rule.

Cox and Verizon, nearly everywhere

The FCC's National Broadband Map, with data as of June 30, 2026 (revision November 10, 2026), counts 343,860 broadband serviceable locations in Rhode Island: houses, apartment buildings and small businesses. Two wired providers report service at almost all of them. Cox reports service at 92.6%, mostly over cable, with fiber at 7.2% of the state's locations. Verizon reports service at 89.5%, and fiber at 80.4%1; the rest of its footprint is fixed wireless.

Few other companies file in the state. Only 10 providers report any wired or fixed wireless service in Rhode Island, a count that ranks 3rd lowest among the states. Optimum files Lightpath fiber in Rhode Island, but for business customers only, so it is left out of every figure on this page (see Optimum). i3 Broadband reports service at 4.8%1, nearly all of it in Bristol County. Xfinity, Spectrum and Breezeline each report a few hundred locations or fewer.

Internet providers in Rhode Island
CoxFiber Cable92.6%92.6%2 Gbps12.3%
VerizonFiber Licensed wireless89.5%84.6%2.3 Gbps4.2%
T-MobileLicensed wireless79.8%22.3%100 Mbps–
AT&TLicensed wireless42.6%2.7%100 Mbps–
i3 BroadbandFiber Cable4.8%4.8%2 Gbps0.2%
XfinityCable0.1%0.1%2 Gbps–
SpectrumCable0.0%0.0%1 Gbps0.0%
BreezelineCable0.0%0.0%1 Gbps–
AndrenaDSL0.0%0.0%200 Mbps–
ResiBridge LLCFiber0.0%0.0%100 Mbps–

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Share of the area's broadband serviceable locations where the provider reports service as of June 30, 2026. "Only wired option" is the share of locations where it is the single wired provider at 100/20 Mbps. Provider-reported and challengeable; speeds are advertised maximums, not measured; no prices. Satellite providers (HughesNet, Starlink, Viasat) report service at nearly every location and are left out of the table.

T-Mobile and AT&T sell fixed wireless home internet over their mobile networks. Their reach looks wide, 79.8% and 42.6% of locations, but both report a fastest advertised download of 100 Mbps. T-Mobile offers 100/20 Mbps at 22.3% of locations and AT&T at 2.7%1. Satellite providers report service at virtually every location, as they do in every state.

A provider "reports" service when it tells the FCC it can install service at a location within ten business days. The listings can be challenged, and they say nothing about price or about the speeds a connection delivers; every speed on this page is a provider's maximum advertised speed.

Two wires, rarely a third

Nationally, the share of locations with a second wired provider at 100/20 Mbps rose by 18.9 percentage points after June 2022. Rhode Island had little left to gain on that measure: 83.5%2 of locations had two or more wired providers at 100/20 in 2022. The share is now 80.4%, the 3rd highest in the country, but it moved by −3.1 percentage points since 2022, a change that ranks the lowest1 among the states. The FCC data record the change in filings, not its cause.

A third wired provider is close to absent: locations with three or more at 100/20 went from 0.6%2 to 0.5%, against 11.1% nationally. In the city of Providence the pattern is the same: the fiber a household can order is Verizon's, at 90.9% of locations, beside Cox's cable, and 0.3%1 show two fiber networks.

How many wired providers offer 100/20 Mbps at each location: Rhode Island
Rhode Island
United States

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Different wired providers (fiber, cable or DSL; FCC provider IDs) reporting 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up or more at the same location. Fixed wireless and satellite are not counted.

Show the numbers
AreaNoneOneTwoThree or more
Rhode Island3.0%16.7%79.8%0.5%
Providence2.8%10.7%86.5%0.0%
Newport County6.9%78.0%15.1%0.0%
United States7.8%36.6%44.6%11.1%

At the other end, 16.7% of the state's locations have exactly one wired provider at 100/20, the 2nd lowest share among the states. Cox is that one provider at 12.3% of all locations, Verizon at 4.2%1. Most of these one-wire locations are in Newport County.

Fiber came early, so it grew slowly

Fiber is reported at 86.2% of Rhode Island's locations, the 2nd highest share among the 50 states and DC. Most of it predates the current map: the first release, as of June 30, 2022, showed fiber at 79.5%2. The rise since then, 6.7 percentage points, is the 2nd lowest of any state, against 25.4 percentage points nationally. Between December 2025 and June 2026 the share moved by −0.3 percentage points1.

What did change was copper and overlap. DSL over copper telephone lines was reported at 22.0% of locations in 2022 and has dropped to 0.0%, tied for the lowest among the states; only 10 locations still show it. Listings with two fiber networks went from 0.1%2 of locations to 1.4%1, so a second fiber network is still rare.

What changed in Rhode Island since June 30, 2022
Fiber available86.2% +6.7 pts
Two or more fiber networks1.4% +1.3 pts
Three or more wired choices0.5% 0.0 pts
DSL available0.0% −22.0 pts
Gigabit (1,000/100)55.5% +55.5 pts

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Shares of broadband serviceable locations in each FCC release (latest revision of each); the small number is the change in percentage points since June 30, 2022. The FCC's count of locations is updated with each release, so shares are compared rather than counts.

Show the numbers
MeasureJune 30, 2022December 31, 2025June 30, 2026Change (points)
Fiber available79.5%86.6%86.2%6.7 pts
Two or more fiber networks0.1%0.5%1.4%1.3 pts
Three or more wired choices0.6%0.5%0.5%0.0 pts
DSL available22.0%0.0%0.0%−22.0 pts
Gigabit (1,000/100)0.0%47.1%55.5%55.5 pts

The longer series below joins the FCC's older Form 477 reports, which counted a whole census block as served if one location in it could be, to the location-by-location map that began in 2022. The two methods do not line up exactly, so read the break as a change in method.

Fiber and 100 Mbps service in Rhode Island, 2016–2026
Fiber and 100 Mbps service in Rhode Island, 2016–20260%25%50%75%20162018202020222026

Source: FCC, Form 477 fixed broadband deployment area tables, December 2016 to June 2021; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Two FCC methods: until 2021 a census block counted as served if one location in it was (Form 477, share of people); since 2022 every location is counted on its own (National Broadband Map, share of locations). The vertical line marks the break; the series are not comparable across it. Form 477 "100 Mbps" is a download tier with a lower upload tier.

Show the numbers
DateFiber, Form 477 (share of people)Fiber, broadband map (share of locations)100 Mbps terrestrial, Form 477 (people)100/20 Mbps terrestrial, broadband map (locations)
Dec 201685.1%–98.1%–
Jun 201784.9%–98.3%–
Dec 201784.9%–98.3%–
Jun 201884.3%–98.4%–
Dec 201884.6%–98.5%–
Jun 201984.7%–98.6%–
Dec 201984.9%–98.6%–
Jun 202084.9%–98.7%–
Dec 202085.0%–98.7%–
Jun 202185.1%–99.9%–
Jun 2022–79.5%–99.2%
Dec 2025–86.6%–97.6%
Jun 2026–86.2%–97.5%

Newport and Bristol: the exceptions

Rhode Island has 55 counties. In Providence, Kent and Washington counties the pattern is the statewide one: Cox and Verizon both report service at more than nine in ten locations. In Kent County, for example, the shares are 97.0% and 94.7%1. The two smallest counties by number of locations break the pattern, each in its own way.

Two or more wired choices by county, Rhode Island
Two or more wired choices by county, Rhode IslandBristol County: 92.5%Kent County: 91.0%Newport County: 15.1%Providence County: 87.7%Washington County: 81.7%

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties are higher. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.

Show the numbers
CountyTwo or more wired choices
Bristol County92.5%
Kent County91.0%
Providence County87.7%
Washington County81.7%
Newport County15.1%

Newport County had the largest fiber gain of any county in the state. Fiber rose from close to none in 2022 to 73.3% of its 33,777 locations, a rise of 73.3 percentage points. Yet 78.0% of Newport County's locations have only one wired provider at 100/20, and Cox reports service at 92.5%, which suggests the new fiber is mostly Cox's own rather than a competitor's. Verizon reports service at 59.7% of the county's locations but offers 100/20 at only 37.6%. Two or more wired choices reach 15.1%, the lowest share of any Rhode Island county, though up 14.9 percentage points1 since 2022.

Bristol County has the least fiber in the state, 9.8% of locations. It still has the most choice: 92.5% have two or more wired providers at 100/20, because a second cable network, i3 Broadband, reports service at 94.9% of the county's locations alongside Cox at 96.4%. Verizon reports service at 64.2% of Bristol County's locations, but 100/20 or more at only 26.4%1.

Selected measures
AreaLocations (BSLs)Fiber availableOne wired choiceTwo or more wired choicesGigabit (1,000/100)Unserved
Providence County, Rhode Island174,69292.6%10.1%87.7%68.0%0.7%
Kent County, Rhode Island59,75495.4%8.0%91.0%20.3%0.2%
Washington County, Rhode Island58,40387.9%12.6%81.7%28.3%1.8%
Newport County, Rhode Island33,77773.3%78.0%15.1%89.0%2.3%
Bristol County, Rhode Island17,2349.8%6.6%92.5%77.3%0.1%
Rhode Island343,86086.2%16.7%80.4%55.5%0.9%
United States115,784,91562.6%36.6%55.6%72.3%2.4%

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.

Internet in every county of Rhode Island
Bristol County17,2349.8%99.1%92.5%0.1%i3 Broadband82.0% ±2.1
Kent County59,75495.4%99.0%91.0%0.2%Verizon81.2% ±1.3
Newport County33,77773.3%93.1%15.1%2.3%Cox81.9% ±1.3
Providence County174,69292.6%97.8%87.7%0.7%Verizon75.9% ±0.9
Washington County58,40387.9%94.3%81.7%1.8%Verizon82.5% ±1.4
Rhode Island343,86086.2%97.0%80.4%0.9%78.4%

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables. Shares of broadband serviceable locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC). 2+ wired choices: two or more wired providers at 100/20 Mbps. Unserved: BEAD definition. Largest wired provider: reports fiber, cable or DSL at the most locations. Wired subscription: households with a cable, fiber or DSL subscription, American Community Survey 2020–2024 (± 90% margin of error).

The unserved share went up, slightly

Rhode Island's gaps are small, and unlike most states they did not shrink. Under the BEAD definitions, 3,081 locations (0.9%) are unserved, with no reliable wired or licensed fixed wireless service of even 25/3 Mbps, and 762 more are underserved, below 100/20. The unserved share moved by +0.2 percentage points since June 2022, the change that ranks the highest among the states; nationally it fell by 5.0 percentage points. These are shares of a location list the FCC revises every release, and Rhode Island's list grew by 8,1941 locations over the same period.

Unserved by county, Rhode Island
Unserved by county, Rhode IslandBristol County: 0.1%Kent County: 0.2%Newport County: 2.3%Providence County: 0.7%Washington County: 1.8%

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties have larger gaps. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.

Show the numbers
CountyUnserved
Newport County2.3%
Washington County1.8%
Providence County0.7%
Kent County0.2%
Bristol County0.1%

The highest share is in Newport County, 2.3%, up 1.3 percentage points since 2022; satellite is the only service reported there at 1.9% of locations. Providence County, with far more locations, rose by 0.5 percentage points to 0.7%, or 1,144 locations. Washington County moved the other way: its unserved share fell by 1.1 percentage points to 1.8%, though it still has the lowest wired 100/20 coverage of any county, 94.3%. Statewide, 2,2581 locations have satellite as their only reported option.

Gigabit downloads everywhere, gigabit plans with fast uploads less so

Almost every location can order a fast download. A download of 1 Gbps or more is advertised at 92.9% of locations, and at 92.8% the fastest advertised download is 2 Gbps or more; in June 2022 that top tier showed 0.0%2. Wired service of 100/100 Mbps, equal speeds both ways, reaches 93.7%, a share that ranks 3rd highest1 among the states.

Fastest advertised download speed at each location: Rhode Island
Rhode Island
United States

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Maximum advertised download speed (Mbps) of any wired or fixed wireless offer at the location, as reported by providers to the FCC; satellite excluded. Advertised, not measured.

Show the numbers
AreaUnder 25 Mbps or none25–99100–249250–499500–939940–1,9992,000 or more
Rhode Island1.9%0.5%0.3%0.4%0.0%4.2%92.8%
United States2.4%1.6%1.8%1.4%0.9%31.0%61.0%

The FCC's gigabit benchmark, 1,000 Mbps down with at least 100 Mbps up, is met at only 55.5% of locations, the 6th lowest share among the states. The difference is the upload: at most of the remaining locations, the gigabit download is advertised with an upload below 100 Mbps. The benchmark share was 0.0%2 in 2022 and rose by 8.4 percentage points between December 2025 and June 2026 alone. By county it ranges from 89.0% in Newport County to 20.3%1 in Kent County, even though Kent has the most fiber.

BEAD: a short list, most of the money unassigned

With so few unserved locations, Rhode Island's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) allocation of $108.7 million, the 3rd lowest7 of any state, is mostly unassigned. The approved Final Proposal covers only 2,622 locations at a BEAD cost of $10.6 million, or $4,030 per location; providers committed a further $7,958,1188.

Rhode Island's BEAD plan: 2,622 locations by technology

Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. Locations in the state's approved BEAD Final Proposal by technology of the selected projects, as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview; subject to NTIA and NIST final review and award.

Show the numbers
TechnologyShare of BEAD locations
Fiber80.7%
Cable0.0%
Fixed wireless14.9%
Low-Earth-orbit satellite4.3%
Other0.1%

Fiber is assigned to 80.7% of the plan's locations (2,117), fixed wireless to 14.9% (391) and low-Earth-orbit satellite to 4.3% (114). That leaves $98.2 million8 of the allocation not assigned to construction; how it may be used was not settled as of November 2026. The state's broadband program, ConnectRI, publishes its maps and the state challenge process.

Rhode Island's allocation from the Treasury's Capital Projects Fund, $112.3 million9, is slightly larger than its BEAD allocation. The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund has disbursed $367,37610 in the state.

Federal broadband programs in Rhode Island
ProgramAmountAs of
BEAD allocation (NTIA, announced June 26, 2023)$108,718,821
BEAD Final Proposal: locations to be connected2,622
BEAD Final Proposal: deployment cost$10,566,150
BEAD cost per location$4,030
BEAD allocation not assigned to deployment$98,152,671
Treasury Capital Projects Fund allocation$112,291,189
RDOF: locations built with support (cumulative)0
Lifeline subscribers claimed8,016
Lifeline participation rate15.4%
Households in the Affordable Connectivity Program, February 202483,516

Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs; Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data; Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; USAC, Lifeline participation rate; USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024. BEAD figures are as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview, subject to final review; "not assigned to deployment" is the allocation minus the deployment cost (NTIA calls it savings; how it may be used is not settled). The ACP stopped taking applications on February 8, 2024 and ended on June 1, 2024.

Cost and who subscribes

The FCC map has no prices, and no official source publishes typical retail prices for Rhode Island. Lifeline, the FCC's monthly discount for low-income households, had 8,01611 Rhode Island subscribers in USAC's latest count; USAC estimates that 15.4%12 of eligible households take part. The Affordable Connectivity Program had 83,51613 Rhode Island households enrolled when sign-ups stopped in February 2024; it ended on June 1, 2024.

In the Census Bureau's 2025 American Community Survey, 93.6% of Rhode Island households had a broadband subscription of any kind (margin of error ±0.8 percentage points), up from 87.7%15 in 2019. Fewer subscribed to a wired service, cable, fiber or DSL: 76.9% (±1.2 percentage points), well below the 97.0%1 of locations where wired 100/20 is reported; the units differ, households against locations, but the gap is wide. 14.5% of households relied only on a cellular data plan (±1.1 percentage points), a share that ranks tied for 8th highest among the states by point estimate. Income separates households: 81.7% of those earning under $20,000 had broadband (±4.7 percentage points), against 98.3%14 of those earning $75,000 or more.

Available versus subscribed: Rhode Island
Wired 100/20 Mbps available (FCC, share of locations)97.0%
Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census)76.9% ±1.2
Households relying only on a cellular data plan14.5% ±1.1
Households with no internet subscription6.3% ±0.8

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables. Availability is a share of locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC); subscriptions are a share of households from the American Community Survey, 2025 (whiskers: 90% margin of error). Different units and dates: read the gap as a sign, not an exact number.

Show the numbers
MeasureShareMOE
Wired 100/20 Mbps available (FCC, share of locations)97.0%
Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census)76.9%±1.2
Households relying only on a cellular data plan14.5%±1.1
Households with no internet subscription6.3%±0.8

Rhode Island cities and towns

Cities and towns of Rhode Island with 25,000 or more residents
Providence195,31091.1%82.1%86.5%2
Cranston84,64796.4%70.6%91.9%2
Warwick84,18796.8%17.4%92.9%2
Pawtucket77,06596.0%89.3%91.8%2
East Providence48,24997.0%59.4%93.2%2
Woonsocket44,58085.8%73.8%82.7%2

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates; Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files. Shares of broadband serviceable locations inside city limits (2020 census blocks), as of June 30, 2026. Population: July 1, 2025 estimate. Gigabit: 1,000/100 Mbps.

Rhode Island internet questions

What internet providers serve Rhode Island?

Leaving out satellite, Cox reports service at 92.6% of Rhode Island's locations (fiber and cable) and Verizon at 89.5% (fiber and licensed fixed wireless). T-Mobile (79.8%) and AT&T (42.6%) report fixed wireless home internet, and i3 Broadband reports service at 4.8%1. These are FCC figures as of June 30, 2026.

How much of Rhode Island has fiber internet?

At least one provider reports fiber at 86.2% of Rhode Island's homes and businesses as of June 30, 2026, the 2nd highest share among the 50 states and DC. Two fiber networks overlap at only 1.4%: in most of the state, fiber means Verizon's. Bristol County is the exception, with fiber at 9.8%1 of its locations. Whether a specific address has fiber can only be checked on the FCC's National Broadband Map.

What is the cheapest internet in Rhode Island?

With essentially two wired companies, Cox and Verizon, Rhode Island households compare few offers, and neither files prices with the FCC; their broadband facts labels list each plan's price and fees. The federal Lifeline discount, $9.25 a month for low-income households, reaches an estimated 15.4%12 of those eligible here.

How many Rhode Island homes lack broadband?

Few, but the share has not fallen: its change since 2022 is the highest of any state. Counting FCC locations, not people, as of June 30, 2026, 3,081 Rhode Island locations (0.9%) were unserved under the BEAD definition, with no reliable service of 25/3 Mbps, and 762 more were underserved. Satellite is the only service reported at 2,2581 locations.

How much BEAD money does Rhode Island get?

Rhode Island's $108.7 million7 is among the smallest allocations, and its approved plan uses $10.6 million of it for just 2,622 locations, leaving $98.2 million8 not assigned to construction.

Checking one address in Rhode Island

The figures on this page describe the whole area. Which providers report service at a single home or apartment is shown only on the FCC's own map: search the address at broadbandmap.fcc.gov. If a provider is listed there but cannot actually connect you within ten business days, or the location is missing or misplaced, the map has a button to file a challenge; providers must respond, and corrections flow into later releases. Prices and plans are not part of the FCC data: each provider must show them on its broadband facts label at the point of sale.

More on internet in and around Rhode Island

Large cities with their own page: Providence.

Neighboring states: Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. Put Rhode Island side by side with any state or large city in the comparison tool.

Sources

  1. FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Availability as of June 30, 2026; released November 10, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
  2. FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; Availability as of June 30, 2022; released May 10, 2024. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
  3. FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; Availability as of December 31, 2025; released November 3, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
  4. FCC, Form 477 fixed broadband deployment area tables, December 2016 to June 2021; December 2016 to June 2021. opendata.fcc.gov
  5. Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. www2.census.gov
  6. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables; 2020-2024; released January 29, 2026. api.census.gov
  7. NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; Allocations announced 2023-06-26; released June 26, 2023. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
  8. NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
  9. Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; Allocations under ARPA sec. 604 (awards announced 2022-06 to 2023). home.treasury.gov
  10. USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data. opendata.usac.org
  11. Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; Support months 2018-01 to 2026-09. opendata.usac.org
  12. USAC, Lifeline participation rate; released August 17, 2026. www.usac.org
  13. USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024; Enrolled households as of 2024-02-08 (Data Month January 2024 file). www.usac.org
  14. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables; 2025 (calendar-year sample); released October 29, 2026. api.census.gov
  15. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 1-year detailed tables; 2019. api.census.gov
  16. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates; July 1, 2025; released May 14, 2026. www.census.gov
  17. Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files; released December 11, 2020. www2.census.gov

Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.