Not everyone share a same moral and I don't believe those problems are completely contributed to downhill of our country - only partial contribution and we have many unfair business practice, also they are dishonesty.
Well, you can't stop the people from being greedy and evil.
I have a different perceptive on this one.
In phone business's eye.
1. They assume that you would buy them back. If you don't, more likely they will have to cut the servers down, or similar downsize scenario.
2. In an ethical sense, it's win-win scenario for all. This is the precise reason why it was designed this way. It is not meant to demoralize either side; it is beneficial for everyone. Customer-provider business, simple. You get what you want in what you pay for, as simple as that.
3. You are a deaf customer. Without phone business, you wouldn't be using your phone right now (and probably the monitor that you are typing upon).
4. Ever read The Gilded Age by Mark Twain? A perfect example of allegory in this case. Industrialization and privatization of business (especially with Bell company in mind). I have often wondered whether if the modern period, from 1990s to modern time, is truly the "Second Gilded Age"...
5. Advantages: accessibility, organization/structure, and mobile internet. By organization/structure I mean, every class of society are provided for- middle class, enterprise, home usage, emergency services, and advanced business management that keep everything in the balance.
Okay, I'm ending this post, I'm going to get an eighth beer