People like to think that Network X is terrible in my neighborhood, so it's terrible everywhere. That's simply not the case. The big three networks got to be the big three by buying smaller regional networks. Some of those networks were very good.

T-Mobile, for example, is excellent in the upper Midwest because it came into the market by buying Voicestream, which had huge and dense coverage.

There are places I have to visit in Nevada where T-Mobile is the only provider. Heck, there are portions of the city of Las Vegas where T-Mobile/Sprint was the only signal at all until AT&T service came in last year, and there's still no Verizon to be found as recently as February (I carry all three when I'm working).

Bring your Verizon phone to southern Ohio, and get a fraction of the coverage you would get on a Cincinnati Bell (or AT&T roaming) phone.

Cell phone networks, like politicians, vary in quality by region.

Also, I've had TMo without any sort of contract or lease for 5 years now, lived in 3 different states, and travel all over the US (and a little bit of Europe). I've never once said "Wow, if only I had Verizon". It's been really great, and the only time I don't get phone service is deep in the mountains or desert