$15 is better than the alternatives ($30 for AT&T, infinite dollars for Sprint or T-Mobile-USA, since both simply don't allow tethering on smartphones). I agree it shouldn't cost more (bits are bits), but in comparison, the "$15 tethering fee", and their tethering policy in general, is probably one of the few things that I _like_ about Verizon (that, and having a mifi, are really the only things I like about them). I wish T-Mobile was as open about tethering these days (as they used to be before they launched 3G).