This. Let's remove all of the technical arguments and just put it this way: even if the telcos were using magic to transmit messages, which is theoretically free, I would still be willing to pay them $5-$10/month for them to perform that magic, because contacting my friends through texts is worth that to me - I have no cheaper way of getting that exact service and ultimately it's worth what they are charging, to me.

The monopoly argument does resonate, however, and I agree that introducing competition is a great advance.

Do people feel that self-sustaining websites are a ripoff because the creators no longer have to put in any time or effort to earn revenue?