This is an example of why Ma Bell was broken up in the first place. The monopoly they have on the hardware is clearly being abused by them and the consumer pay

This is an example of why Ma Bell was broken up in the first place. The monopoly they have on the hardware is clearly being abused by them and the consumer pays the price. I pay this price for phone, data AND Tethering on my Treo with another carrier. The only Reason AT&T can do this is they have the whole market for iphones.