RCN Sponsors Essay Contest To Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month; Teams with iSorpresa! - America's First Hispanic Kids Network To Increase Awareness of Heritage and Culture

HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2006--RCN Corporation (NASDAQ: RCNI), a leading provider of triple play cable, high-speed internet and phone services, is teaming up with iSorpresa!, America's first Hispanic kids network, during Hispanic Heritage Month to sponsor a company-wide children's essay-writing contest about the importance of heritage.

In partnership with iSorpresa!, RCN is sponsoring a children's essay writing contest to increase awareness about the importance of heritage and how it's infused in today's culture. The contest, also intended to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, began with the airing of cable television commercials in RCN's Boston, Chicago, New York, metro DC, and Eastern, PA markets that invite children, ages 14 and under, of all heritages to write and submit an essay describing what their heritage means to them.

“Our recently launched countries package of cable TV networks, Paquete de Paises, which is included in our new Hispanic MiVision programming, connects many of our customers back to their countries of origin.”

One essay will be chosen based on creativity, spelling, grammar and content and a pizza party and prizes will be awarded to the winner and their classroom. The contest is open to all children, including RCN customers.

John Baker, RCN's vice president, marketing and sales management, explained, "RCN recognizes the important part that heritage plays in our customer's lives. Hispanic Heritage Month is the perfect time for us to focus more attention on the benefits that heritage brings to our culture, and the children's essay contest is a fun way to increase that awareness.

Baker added that RCN has taken the lead in designing and launching a comprehensive and unique offering addressing its customer's diverse Hispanic culture: "Our recently launched countries package of cable TV networks, Paquete de Paises, which is included in our new Hispanic MiVision programming, connects many of our customers back to their countries of origin."

Contest entries should be forwarded by October 20, 2006 by email to pizzaparty@sorpresatv.com or by mail to RCN/Sorpresa! Hispanic Heritage Contest, c/o Firestone Communications, 6125 Airport Freeway, Fort Worth, TX 76117. Additional details can be found at http://www.rcn.com/heritagecontest .

About RCN Corporation

RCN Corporation, http://www.rcn.com, is one of the largest facilities-based competitive providers of bundled cable, high-speed internet and phone services delivered over its own fiber-optic local network to residential customers in the most densely populated markets in the U.S. RCN Business Solutions is a growing business that also provides bulk video, high-capacity and voice services to business customers. RCN provides service in the Boston, New York, Eastern Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles metropolitan markets. (RCNI-G)

About iSorpresa!

iSorpresa! is America's first Spanish language children's television network. The channel is available in the highest Hispanic populated regions including 29 states and Puerto Rico. The network offers a digital community for 6 to 14 year-olds, and also appeals to a broader 2 to 17 year-old demographic with original, culturally-relevant, educational, sports, live-action, animation and news programming on a 24-hour basis. Based in Fort Worth, TX iSorpresa! is owned and operated by Firestone Communications, Inc., a privately held media company. More information about iSorpresa! can be found at www.sorpresatv.com.