PRINCETON, N.J. -- RCN Corporation (Nasdaq: RCNC) and Starpower Communications, LLC (the joint venture between RCN and Washington, DC-based Pepco Communications) today announced a 20-year, multi-million dollar agreement with Cogent Communications (Amex: COI) to provide dark fiber rings and building lateral connections in New York City and Washington, DC. Exact financial terms were not disclosed.

Using dark fiber from RCN’s high-capacity fiber-optic network, RCN and Starpower will provide more than 50 miles of backbone fiber connecting about a dozen marquee commercial properties with Cogent’s POP (Points-of-Presence) sites in Manhattan and Washington, DC.

“Our agreement with Cogent is another vote of confidence for RCN and shows how we’re successfully meeting the needs of carriers and other business customers,” said David C. McCourt, RCN’s Chairman and CEO. “While there’s still a great deal of uncertainty in the telecommunications sector at this time, RCN continues to demonstrate that we have the right technology, the right products and services, and the right business model needed to succeed in the long run.”

“The dark fiber with which RCN is providing us will be instrumental in helping us meet the strong and growing demand for bandwidth Internet connectivity in New York and Washington, DC,” said Dave Schaeffer, CEO and Founder of Cogent Communications. “Cogent works with many providers located across the country and adding RCN’s experience, flexibility and growing track record to the mix will increase our expectation that rollout of our high bandwidth Internet service in the New York and DC metro areas will accelerate, helping to meet the demand for reliable, cost effective bandwidth in those regions.”

RCN Corp.