For a few months now, as I’ve driven from the Bay Bridge into San Francisco, I’ve passed a billboard advertising the LG Dare on Verizon’s network. The slogan, “Dare to experience the best 3G network,” always makes me cringe a little bit, because to me it means Verizon doesn’t get it.

Is a network an experience? Currently, perhaps, yes. But in the future, definitely no.

I realize we’re still perfecting mobile infrastructure, but that’s all it is: a conduit. It’s like electricity (or the Internet), which at this point everyone expects to just work. Essentially, that’s what Verizon advertises: “It’s the network.” It works well. And yes, the network is likely the best in the United States. As someone who traveled across the country recently, visiting some remote areas, Verizon was the service that continued to work the most (AT&T, not so much).

But if the network works, then it’s invisible. Hence, not an experience. As mobile connectivity improves and moves increasingly toward working invisibly, like electricity, the experience of its network that Verizon currently pushes as its main sell becomes negligible.

This makes me question the real experience that Verizon should be selling: the touch screen LG Dare. And since that’s not what is being advertised, I can only imagine I would not care to dare experience the thing that actually offers one.