I am not 100% on this, but I think most of the US providers wont allow you to activate a smart phone without a data plan. It's kind of BS, but my guess is that they do it to ensure they re-coup the costs of the higher subsidies given out for smartphones.
I was able to use my android phones on T-Mobile for a few years with voice-only. Perhaps things have changed there but I know AT&T forces you to buy a data plan whether or not you buy the phone from them.
They'll probably let you do it if it's unlocked, but I don't think most people buy unlocked phones.
I've wondered about that myself. Most of my apps require data and I'm not exactly sure how that limits the market.