If CDNs are so cheap, why is YouTube insistent that they should get paid for their bandwidth? I already pay for my bandwidth and am quite happy to use it for something like YouTube.
The real reason is centralised architecture gives them control and ability to extract rent.
> why is YouTube insistent that they should get paid for their bandwidth?
What are you talking about?
YouTube has a lot more costs than bandwidth. And a lot of ads and Premium revenue goes to creators.