Interestingly, and I don't see this argument often, this situation can also turn into a rich get richer. If market information, political information, educational information are all hidden behind paywalls, the haves can afford information, and the have nots are kept ignorant. How can one perform their civic duty without accurate information? How can one invest in equities without up to date information?
I see this as making a strong case for more put into entities like PBS, CPB, BBC etc and for Libraries paying for access for their citizens.