Correct – the problem is when you plan a budget – answering this question is not optional in the least. It must balance or it will not work. If the network starts leaking value it will always undermine it’s value.
When you put a product on the market, people are willing to pay you what it is worth to them. When somebody else pays the bill – a third party like the network – a disconnect happens, and the market breaks. As a producer you can overproduce because the third party is willing to pay regardless of the value, and as a consumer you can overconsume because it isn’t costing you anything. But the network pays - not only by the subsidy, but also in the bandwidth, the storage space etc…