Remember when everybody was crying for carriers, notably Verizon, because their profits were going down because of the evil iPhone?
Well, it looks like you can stop crying because Verizon found a tried-and-true way to start recouping money. They are just going to do what they do best -- gouging customers.
Bravo, Verizon.
Currently, carriers are obsessed with avoiding becoming a "dumb pipe". By charging separately for "features" like tethering, SMS, etc., they are skirting around the issue that what they are to their customers is a conduit through which voice and data pass. In reality, that is all the wireless carriers are -- or at least that's ideally what they should be.
From their perspective, putting them in the position of just being a data pipe provider prevents them from up-selling things that they feel "provide value". When companies like Verizon say "provide value", they actually mean "ad-encrusted shovelware and shoddy service". Unfortunately, in the US, we're stuck with it if we want to keep using our smartphones.
spotted on: iLounge