VZW was a sponsor of GROWCO. I owe them for bringing in Michael Gerber, since his speech was sponsored by VZW. There were ads all over the show for VZW handsets. The new Droid Eris by HTS is just $99.99. Oops! $199.99 is the 2 year contract price for a new 2 year activation on voice plan with email option. Then there's a $100 mail-in rebate debit card. 

Is this even a rebate? A debit card? Really.

Why? Because many debit cards and gift cards go unused. Plus these debit cards can't be used everywhere. No PIN, so it's difficult to use to even buy gas. 

The FTC worries about my transparency as a blogger, but not so much on the utter and total bull that is the retail rebate in America. 

FTC clarity statement: I am anti-ILEC. Why? Companies like Verizon and AT&T and its myriad subsidiaries have done nothing to promote the American economy. There's no innovation left. These firms even find a way to penalize retirees because they spent all these quarters staring at the stock price instead of actually running a corporation. And these companies have a difficult time comprehending the word Partner.