Yesterday, the CFO of Verizon Wireless kicked the hornet’s nest that is the Internet by unofficially announcing that VZW would be killing off currently grandfathered unlimited data plans as customers made the shift from 3G to 4G LTE. Judging by the company’s response since then, he probably wasn’t supposed to let that particular cat out of the bag just yet.

In a statement that the L.A. Times labels “backpedaling,” but which we would call “slapping a band-aid on a gut wound,” Verizon Wireless posted this last night:

As we have stated publicly, Verizon Wireless has been evaluating its data pricing structure for some time. Customers have told us that they want to share data, similar to how they share minutes today. We are working on plans to provide customers with that option later this year.

We will share specific details of the plans and any related policy changes well in advance of their introduction, so customers will have time to evaluate their choices and make the best decisions for their wireless service. It is our goal and commitment to continue to provide customers with the same high value service they have come to expect from Verizon Wireless.

So wait — are they getting rid of grandfathered plans or not? We’re guessing that if the CFO had simply misspoken, then Verizon would be saying so.

It’s possible that killing the grandfathered plans is just one option the company is considering, and therefore they can’t officially say yay or nay, but when the CFO of the country’s largest wireless company tells a room full of people that the goal is “moving everyone into a tiered structure data share plan,” and that “everyone will be on data share,” that sounds pretty concrete.

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