I sort of feel like this is just a nitpick, since it was one big rant, but re: the cell network thing- we already have a mechanism where you can use data (and be billed for usage) on networks you don't subscribe to: roaming. The problem is the network operators don't really have much reason to allow other phones to roam on their network for cheap- they're selling data plans, and competing against others selling data plans. If a Network A customer can roam on Network B towers for not much more than the cost of data on Network A, Network B can't say "hey, customer, come switch to us, we have better coverage". So roaming costs are rather nasty.
This doesn't have to be the case, of course! They could certainly provide roaming at cost instead, so the user pays one flat price, almost like mutual peering in internet exchanges. The point is, even if there was a zero-fee, zero-latency micropayments system, this wouldn't really affect the dynamics of the market for mobile data- it's neither necessary or sufficient for the ideal world where a cell tower is a dumb RF-to-packets gateway that any device can use for a reasonable per-kilobyte fee.
But again, that's just one paragraph. I really appreciate the insight into some of the problems you had to deal with. And I can definitely see how - even regardless of the merits of a token itself! - the disruption it brings could cut out a lot of middle-men who are there just because they've sort of always been there. I just hope the practices that come with switching to a token don't have even worse downsides.
I.e. "Hooray! Now my code can control the flow of money, authoritatively, and nobody can override it!.... Oh, shit. My code controls the flow of money, authoritatively, and nobody can override it..."
Reminded of those AWS billing horror stories- when you can do expensive things with just a few lines of code, you can do expensive things with just a few lines of code.