In a sense, you are right. However, US and Canadian total average bills are far Higher and have more probability to be much higher than the contract fee. In the EU, mobile operators have had legislation forcing then to simplify and lower call costs. In the developing world, costs and fee models are whole orders cheaper.

I have no problem about the cost of buying a local mobile anywhere I travel in the world, the the US being the exception (have not yet travelled to Canada, which is shameful as I have family and friends there).

I found the comment of all the US carriers operating the same policy and therefore not being able to walk away. Surely that is grounds enough for a complaint about price fixing, using the rest of the world as a case study?