Absolutely. If you don't like AT&T, don't buy their services. If you don't like Verizon, don't buy theirs. I have a smart phone on no contract and pay $10/month for service. I only get data via WI-FI but it's unlimited and that's good enough for me. There are alternatives. Everything is a tradeoff. AT&T either provides enough value that it's worth the cost or it doesn't. This is a decision that each customer makes.