How are network carriers still so critical when choosing a phone in the USA? Seems to be a unique situation compared to other markets

1. Due to competing technical standards, a phone's hardware either works with Verizon and other carriers or it just works for other carriers.
2. If a phone is bought from a carrier then, because they're fucking pricks, they'll put that phone on a list such that no other carrier will accept it: carrier locked. If a phone is bought from the manufacturer then it'll be carrier unlocked and more expensive.

My wife and I can take our hardware to any carrier that suits us because we've the time to understand the scam and enough money to facilitate the wiser set of choices. The majority of Americans don't have the time or the money.

How come that nothing has ever been made to improve that situation?

The banks own the stock in the corporations that, through intermediate entities, fund our elections and write our legislation. Nothing is being done because our trade unions are weak and neoliberals don't understand why violence is now necessary.

Because American citizens aren't seen as people. They are units in a system, units don't need rights, protection or choice. They need to spend, produce and contribute to the system.

Americans have uniquely accepted a compromising position of a "lower" price phone that only works with one network and locks them in for a fairly long duration.

The American population has accepted quite a few of these uniquely compromising situations under the guise of "the free market"

All Verizon devices are bootloader-locked and they will not unlock them. If you ever want to run a custom ROM, do not buy Verizon devices.

There are MVNOs using Verizon's network that have bootloader-unlockable devices. 🤷‍♂️