deploy a *token* amount of FiOS in areas where it's the most profitable and lowest cost
Actually it's the opposite from all the FIOS deployments I've seen or heard about. The big shiny new cities packed full of rich people get utterly left out, while FIOS gets deployed to the cheapest, least-dense areas.
Though I don't have any first-hand knowledge, it appears that Verizon is deploying FIOS aggressively where population density is lowest, and the POTS lines were substantially more expensive to maintain. Typically, that means the cities get left out, while the suburbs get blanketed.
However, that's not really a good thing for the suburbs. Once you've got FIOS coverage, Verizon won't offer $10/month DSL service, and you'll be paying a minimum of $60/month for their lowest-speed internet service. If you want a landline phone and TV with your internet, the figures look better, but most people have cell phones, and many people that want high-speed internet don't want plain old "cable" TV service, so it's a bit of a plot to prop-up their dying businesses by tying them like an anchor around the neck of high-speed internet.
In the end, the local cable TV company was nice enough to offer FASTER internet service, for 1/3rd the price, though that has since slightly increased.