RE: Depending on how old your television is, you can probably label the channels yourself within the TV's setup.
Yes, my ~3-year-old Sceptre 32" has this function and it really does help a lot. Unfortunately, my ~18-month-old LG 50" does not. The TV still works fine via a Windows Media Center home theater PC (all the ClearQAM stuff is masked by the guide), but it is still nice for the TV to be able to tune local channels easily when desired.
So far, there is no sign Verizon has restored the PSIP metadata. Perhaps this is really the end of that. No doubt a major reason for lack of action is that hardly any FiOS subscribers use direct-connected televisions, so Verizon is getting few complaints. When the FiOS installer came to my house, I was the first such connection he had ever seen, and he had been installing FiOS for years. Most subscribers probably believe a set top box is required. Based on earlier comments in this thread, FiOS customer reps are clearly encouraging that misconception.