Sometimes standards bodies are formed by an oligarchy of industry players who have decided that their businesses would be simplified by mutual interoperability. They have no interest in lowering any bar of entry for other players though; certainly, they don't care about some hobbyist who balks at forking up $300 for a document.
To be fair, though, $300 is a pretty low bar. Certainly for any company, but even for a decent chunk of hobbyists who are really into building something.
Even a few thousand dollars isn't much of a barrier for a company that wants to build a product.
> To be fair, though, $300 is a pretty low bar.
What? You mean it's reasonable for a DIYer to cough up $300 just to find out what's the current standard for say, color coding wires on an AC outlet?