Rant: Cell Phone Bills

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I recently got a new cell phone after asking myself a lot of questions. I decided to go with a phone that would not change the rates and plan of my current phone. Even though I considered upgrading to a smart phone there was one hurdle I could not get over. That hurdle was the fact that my cell phone bill is by far, on average, the largest utility I pay each month.

Electricity, water, gas, home phone and internet are all less than my cell phone bill each month and I have the minimum package that allows you to get free mobile to mobile calling. In fact, I even saw a commercial on television recently for a car dealership that offered monthly payments that were less than a cell phone plan for two Droids or two iPhones. Since when did a car payment become more affordable than a cell phone?

Cell phone companies know there is demand and they are picking our pockets. Their nickle and dime approach for every feature, minute, MB, TXT, and application drives me crazy. I believe that the first cell phone company to offer affordable phones with no contract or rebate and an affordable comprehensive plan for 2 lines under a $100 will own the entire market.

However, for now I guess they can make more money continuing with their current tactics. Cell phone companies defy nearly everything about Chris Anderson's Free: The Future of a Radical Price.