Verizon knows nothing about technology
I worked for a company that sold mobile phone software to Verizon. Verizon's tech guys work hard, but the company's management knows nothing about technology and keeps the tech guys in a tiny Midwest office. Verizon is a marketing company. They want someone else to provide them with turnkey tech solutions.
Verizon is most likely talking about Android with the press because they want to piss off Qualcomm. Qualcomm sells Verizon its phone towers, phone chip sets, phone OS (BREW).. Verizon depends on Qualcomm and will do anything to break the stranglehold (or at least negotiate a better deal with Qualcomm).