Verizon to offer contract-free postpaid plans?

There's a rumor going around that Verizon is on the cusp of announcing that customers bringing their own equipment to the table (they are doing that whole open network thing, after all) or who are willing to pay full price for their goods up front will be able to go contract-free on postpaid accounts. There'll still be an activation fee and a credit check since we're still talking about a postpaid setup, but you'll have the freedom to walk away or upgrade hardware at any time your carefree heart desires without dealing with an ETF or a pesky contract extension. If this all goes down -- which it probably will, assuming Verizon's interested in keeping up with the industry trend here -- word is we can expect an announcement on the 21st of the month.