In 1963, the FCC made almost all land mobile (two-way FM radio) radio equipment obsolete when they mandated new channel spacing and FM deviation standards to make more efficient use of the radio spectrum. Users had to buy new radios that complied with the new standards, at their own expense.
The government didn't take anything away from you. It has no obligation to compensate anyone for hardware that has become obsolete or useless due to new laws and regulations. This isn't the first time that this sort of thing has happened.
Much of it is just greed. Auto mechanics have been ripping people off for many decades. It's just too easy to feed the average customer some bullshit and make some quick and easy money.
You can save a lot of money by switching to an economy plan, instead of the normal local unlimited plan. The optional calling features are a complete rip-off.
Right, the "Vast Western Conspiracy" to talk trash about China. That's the sort of thing I hear from Chinese students who have little experience with other societies.
The sad part is all the people who get crippled by playing high school and college sports, motivated by the very unlikely prospect of a professional career. They are cannon fodder for a system that makes big profits for the schools and TV networks, and does little for the athlete.