http://venturebeat.com/2012/07/31/verizon-fcc-tethering-settlement/
"In a double-whammy for Verizon, the Federal Communications Commission announced today that the carrier
must let its customers use third-party apps to turn their phones into mobile hotspots, and Verizon will also have to pay a $1.25 million fee to settle with the FCC over blocking the tethering apps so far.
Verizon Wireless charges customers $20 a month to use the mobile hotspot feature on their phone, which allows them to share Internet access with other devices. But plenty of Android apps, like PDANet, also do the same thing for free, and it wasnt too long before Verizon decided to clamp down.
The FCC found that Verizon ultimately couldnt block the tethering apps, since it acquired 700 MHz spectrum for its 4G LTE network in 2008 that required it to maintain an open network."