I don't disagree with some of your complaints, but the venom against Verizon is pretty silly. I can only speak for my own experiences, but here's what I get for the money they charge:

The best coverage and call quality I've ever had (I've previously had Sprint, AT&T, and Cingular).

Top notch customer service, and quick access at that. I never wait more than 30 seconds anytime I've ever called their CS, at any time of the day. Not to mention CS that speaks perfect English and is based in this country (no disrespect to those CS departments located out of the country, but we all know how frustrating it can be calling one of those departments at times).

EV-DO broadband speeds.

Now, would I prefer to pay less than $45 a month for data services? Yes, and I do absolutely think they overcharge. I've state on here before that if the iPhone improves its PIM features and uses 3G in its next iteration, I'd be hard pressed to stay with Verizon if for no other reason than their data plans seem more fair. Do I like that they cripple certain features? Of course not.

However, so far, their service and customer service outstrips anything anyone else has to offer. I tried out Sprint, even got a Sero plan, and the customer service was so awful I actually cancelled the phone/account and decided to stay with Verizon. That's right - I paid more NOT to use Sprint. AT&T's CS is actually pretty good. Not as good as Verizon's, but good. Their call quality, however, wasn't as good as Verizon's. I use my phone to conduct conference calls on occasion, so call quality is incredibly important. Verizon is the only service I've had where people don't know that I'm on a cell phone.

So please, spare me the "VZW fanboy" nonsense. Most people are loyal to their carrier because obviously the carrier provides them something that they need. No one prefers to pay more for less features, but in my experience, the stuff VZW gets right overshadows what they get wrong.