Hotspot or tethering Galaxy Axiom

[wayton]

I'm not a phone guy so I don't know if this is the right forum, but I have a Samsung Galaxy Axiom with US Cellular that I want to use as a hotspot. Do I have to pay US Cellular a one time fee of $30 to do what apparently hotspot/tethering apps can do for free or ~$10? What happens if they catch me using a tethering app from the app store?