I've had verizon for almost 8 years and I swear by it. I have never had a problem with reception or roaming, I 've lived everywhere from Oshkosh to Cleveland to Wausau to Milwaukee and it has been great everywhere. Even worked perfectly without any extra charges from Toronto. If reception is one of your major concerns, the model of phone makes a huge difference. Motorolla is notorious for having poor signal strength, while LG is supposedly the best for coverage area. As far as prepaid phones go, I know that your coverage is very limited as it is. I looked into getting one for my parents for Christmas, but turned out to be able to just add a line to my Verizon for only $10 a month and get them a very basic LG phone for less than $40. If you live in the Milwaukee area, and might be interested in Verizon, I would suggest the Verizon store at Bayshore. Try to talk to Madonna (I know right-but she was great to deal with) or the taller skinny guy with the beard, I think his name is Kevin. I have dealt with both of them and had excellent service both times.