I've only been a customer for about 5 years, but in that time I've heard their CEO saying they won't be banning or hunting down people who use their phones for tethering, I've seen them roll out the Android phone before anybody else, and I've had really good experiences with their network (in msp and in the rocky mountains). I don't know if any of those are "forward-thinking", but I've actually been a happy customer, rather than a grudging one.
I pay $60 per month for unlimited voice and data, and I can tether as much as I want with no fees, etc.
tmobile's main problem is network coverage (around San Francisco it's quite bad) ...
But its policies and customer service are quite reasonable. From what I gather, at&t has just as bad network coverage but doesn't like you to tether and charges a lot more.
To get measurably better service one needs sprint or verizon, which charge even more than at&t
