Iphone 4s won't activate after restore

The software on my phone  4s (ios 7.1, Verizon carrier) was acting buggy, so I decided to restore it. After doing so and restoring it from a backup, the phone started telling me it wasn't activated. I tried setting it up as a new phone, but the same problem continued. I've done this before (pre-ios 7) and haven't had the same problem.

Hi Katherine,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
Take a look at the article linked below, it provides tips that should help you resolve the activation issue.
Get help activating your iPhone
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts3424
Check the system status for iOS Device Activation. If the iOS Device Activation status isn't green, try activating your iPhone later.
Restart the iPhone.
Try to reach the activation server another way, then try to activate.
Try connecting to a known-good Wi-Fi network if you can't activate using a cellular data connection.
Try connecting to iTunes if you can't activate using Wi-Fi.
Restore the iPhone.
If you receive an alert message when you try to activate your iPhone, place the iPhone in recovery mode and perform a restore. If you still can't complete the setup assistant due to an activation error, contact Apple for assistance.
If you're asked to enter a password to proceed with activating the iPhone, Activation Lock might be enabled as part of Find my iPhone.
Cheers!
-Jason

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