684
T-Mobile Just Ripped 8 Million Customers Off Their Grandfathered Plans – and Raised Their Bills
(www.gadgetreview.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
They did, but even beyond that, the other alternatives mentioned in this thread are MVNOs that still use T-Mobile's network (usually with a lower priority compared to direct customers, not usually an issue unless there's congestion). You're still paying T-Mobile, just indirectly. MVNOs buy in bulk and try to offer options that split that bulk usage up in ways different to the big carriers to target smaller more specific demographics.
Isn't this really hard to avoid in the US because of the existing infrastructure? All of the towers are owned by one or two companies, and the rest have to rent them out.