You can get a combo 5G hotspot plus power bank and tape it to the back of your device. Then you can keep using your device on WiFi alone.

Better to use rubber bands. You don’t want to have to remove that Apple-like adhesive tape when hot-swapping batteries like a quick-draw gun slinger.

Not just Verizon; the literal FCC, who licenses and restricts what bandwidth can be used for what purpose.

The FCC did not mandate the transition:

Why are 3G networks being phased out? https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/plan-ahead-phase-out-3g...

> As mobile carriers seek to upgrade their networks to use the latest technologies, they periodically shut down older services, such as 3G, to free up spectrum and infrastructure to support new services, such as 5G. Similar transitions have happened before. For example, some mobile carriers shut down their 2G networks when they upgraded their networks to support 4G services. Mobile carriers have the flexibility to choose the types of technologies and services they deploy, including when they decommission older services in favor of newer services to meet consumer demands.

The main difference being that Verizon sold me the phone and supported it on their network until they didn't. So yes, the Treo 650 still turns on and can be used without voice or data service, but claiming that Verizon is no more preventing me from using it than McDonald's or H&R Block in this case seems disingenuous.