I have the fix for your problem: stop signing a contract.

I've been saying this for years now, both on this site, on my own site, and on numerous others. If you don't want to be held to any carrier's requirements, stop signing a contract and start buying your phone differently. Of course, no one really wants to, considering they would then buy used phone or pay a real full retail (what you paid wasn't full retail, unless you bought a flip phone) from then on. But every time you sign a contract to get a discounted phone, you agree to their terms. It's as simple as that. Don't sign a contract and they can't hold you down to much.

I won't drone on about how most carriers, especially all of the major national one, charge this kind of fee. I'm sure someone would accuse me of being an overly defensive wireless employee. Which is worse, Verizon charging you the fee, or you paying it? I won't ignore the fact that wireless companies want you to just shut up and pay the fee, but you have a way around it. So why aren't you arming yourself with knowledge and making your decisions based on that information?

We have the power and we don't use it. If you don't like the fee, pay the full retail (the real one, not the one you think you paid), or find another company that won't charge you (yet).