Why can’t you expect it. They expect to take from you. You mention middle ground. You don’t get to the middle ground by walk halfway towards someone that had no intention of meeting you halfway. But they will take every advantage you give them.
So no, there is no middle ground as this isn’t some fair negotiation.
I’m a consumer of a product and yesterday I had twice the product for twice as cheap. Today I don’t. I have no invested interest to market for the erosion of services on behalf of any private corporation or company. Especially large corporate entities who pay individuals hundreds of millions in contracts. How about standing up for your peers because they ain’t your peers. Demand cheaper better products and if they don’t budge then you shouldn’t either. Its okay to stand up for tour interest you don’t need to defend these practices especially when they go to the effort of capture a monopoly on the services right before they lock it all away.
You keep meeting them halfway they’ll keep moving where that is.