A. I doubt any of us know the exact details on their dealings with those carriers in Alaska, Kansas, Oklahoma, et al that caused the coverage to change from native to roaming so to say that it was done "on a whim" is a rather audacious (at best) statement to make.
B. To the best of my recollection anyone affected by the changes was given advance notice and released from their contract. The "hassle" was minimal.
C. As far as the hardware, I guess it's a good thing that eBay, Swappa, etc. exist.