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Verizon will slow the rollout of its FiOS fiber optic video/internet/phone service, creating winners and losers in its service area. Among the winners are New York City, Washington DC, and Philadelphia, where existing projects will be completed. But FiOS will not be coming to Baltimore, downtown Boston, and other areas.

FiOS will continue to roll out in areas where FiOS franchises have already been awarded. Verizon is still seeking new franchises in New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. However, the company will not seek future franchises in any other major metro areas, especially in the midwest and west coast, where it is selling off service areas. By year-end this will cause the FiOS subscriber base to top off at 18 million households in 16 states, meeting a previously announced goal.

The move may stem from the nation's economic woes in general and the up-front cost of FiOS in particular. It costs $750 to wire up a home for FiOS. The Federal Communications Commission's ambitious national broadband plan may also have thrown the future of FiOS into doubt. Verizon hasn't ruled out future expansion but this is where things stand for now.

See AP story via USA Today.