Policyband

Verizon Relying on Dr. Evil to Breed Consumer Loyalty to New Pricing Plans

Verizon is scrapping activation and upgrade fees as part of a broad push to simplify its offerings and redefine its relationship with customers

Ted Hearn

Jun 17, 2026 — 9 min read

From left: Actors Rob Lowe and Seth Green, original cast members of the 1997 comedy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, star in Verizon’s promotional video.

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Plans: Verizon is scrapping activation and upgrade fees as part of a broad push to simplify its offerings and redefine customer loyalty. “We’re fundamentally reshaping Verizon inside and out to put the customer at the center of everything we do,” Verizon CEO Dan Schulman said. The wireless company on June 16 unveiled Verizon Simplicity, a new wireless plan that gives all customers access to its top 5G network with no tiers and what it calls the industry’s most streamlined pricing structure. Verizon also introduced Verizon One, a combined mobile and 500 Mbps home Internet plan aimed at new customers. Verizon One bundles wireless and home Internet into a single $70 monthly bill, with taxes and fees included. “We think it’s too early to tell if this is positive or negative for Verizon as we’ll have to see consumer reception,” KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Brandon Nispel said. (More after paywall)