[citation][nom]scook9[/nom]You can do that now....they just will not subsidize the phone for you. You have to buy off contract at full price and just not get data. This cost more upfront but is still cheaper than having data for the 2 years of the phone so if it is what you want, go for it![/citation]
Oh, I WISH you were correct, but you are not. I had an out of contract brand new android phone sitting here at home and decided to activate it for the wife. Verizon WILL NOT let you activate it on their locked down CDMA network without adding a minimum of the $15/month data plan. Even when you're out of the 2 year contract of your device and have most definitely paid off any of their subsidies, you STILL have to pay for data if you have a modern smartphone.
And this should be ILLEGAL. If you own the device outright, and just want to use it as a phone/planner, you should be able to. I totally agree with attaching a two year contract of extra data fees to subsidize a more expensive device. But if you buy it outright, or pay it off over the course of your contract, you should be able to put whatever plan on it you want. That's one thing I HATE about CDMA networks.
We sit here and watch the FCC crack down on internet service providers all across the nation, meanwhile the most heinous gougers (wireless telecoms) somehow magically remain exempt.