The reason being, is people set up accounts for other people. This may not be what you are looking for, but as one poster who is currently in timeout has mentioned... "I set up 3 accounts for my house, my sisters, and my parents". They do not want this to become a norm and take precautionary steps to prevent it. Fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter who you go to, everyone will want to be paid for the service they offer you. You do not need the contract, but to answer your question about why buy the equipment... It's to avoid the contract. Your 18 year account is for 1 residence. It is not for multiple, otherwise you would be account stacking.