Help Huge fan of MetroPCS for a long time, now disgusted with T-Mobile

[Android Question]

I have been a huge fan (and cheerleader, even) of MetroPCS for many, many years now. Always loved their reasonable prices on their unlimited plans. But recent changes since T-Mobile took over have made me absolutely disgusted (.jpg).

It seems as if we are second class citizens on T-Mobile's network. T-Mobile go out of their way to block tethering, with the CEO making statements calling people who tether freeloaders. They clearly don't want our business. As a matter of fact, I am starting to think that the only reason TMo bought Metro in the first place was to eliminate them as a competitor.

MetroPCS for years was an industry maverick, offering us regular people a lot of value for the money. But of course we can't have any of that in the cellular business, now can we? So TMo buy them out and now we are right back to tiered data plans, artificial scarcity, and all the other nonsense and being ripped off by a small number of companies with very little actual choice or competition in the market.

Yeah there are a lot of MVNOs that give the superficial appearance of choice / competition. But when you dig through all the BS marketing, and get right down to it, it just seems that every company's prices are about the same. $70/mo for a true unlimited plan, and then they want to charge you on top of that to tether. And prices are going up - because that is what happens when there is no real competition. It's ridiculous and overpriced, especially given the fact that more people than ever now have cellular service, and most of the network has been built out a long time ago by now. Prices should be coming down. But instead they are going up, due to anti-competitive behavior, greed, and other nonsense. And I'm just absolutely sick of it.

So, what I would like to know is, where is the new up and coming company that will shake up the market the way that Metro did for so many years? Because that is the company that I would like to support with my hard earned dollars.

If no such company exists right now, I really wish someone with the funds and industry contacts / knowledge would start such a company. To really, actually be an un-carrier, instead of just marketing themselves as one and then still in actuality doing all the anti-competitive, consumer unfriendly, rip off behavior of every other telco company, ever.

Failing my pie in the sky hopes and dreams, where can I find the best plan for the money right now? Preferably from a company that is not actively trying to screw us, the paying customers, at every opportunity? A company that doesn't want to nickel and dime for tethering. Or alternatively, if they do charge for it, where is the cheapest package overall?

Yours in frustration,

TRS-80

 

[Fox Mulder]

Might have been best to post this in the MetroPCS forum-
http://androidforums.com/forums/metro-pcs.282/

Anyway not sure what your issue is with tethering. It is included with Metro's current plans, I have the $60 unlimited plan which includes 8GB of tethering. That really should be enough for most users unless you are using them as your primary ISP (which is considered excessive use and violates their TOS) or doing a LOT of streaming.
In any case Metro's unlimited plan is still the best deal out there, most carriers don't even offer one any more.
And, the service has gotten many, many times better since T-Mo took over and put Metro on their network.

 

[AZgl1500]

Verizon does not charge extra of late for turning on the Hotspot, they used to, but for about a year now, it is just a part of my Family Plan....

The same data package is shared by all devices shown in my signature.
makes no difference if it is a phone providing the hotspot, or if it is the WiFi 4g router proving the internet service.