Is AT&T getting an unfairly bad rap for iPhone problems?

Randall Stross, the author of the NYT article (and a Verizon customer) notes:

When I set about looking for independent data, however, to confirm the superior performance of Verizon's network, I was astonished to discover that I had managed to get things exactly wrong. Despite the well-publicized problems in New York and San Francisco, AT&T seems to have the superior network nationwide.