ISPs usually don't do it "for free." Placing caches on operator networks is typically part of a larger business agreement that may not involve exchange of cash, but will exchange something of value.
So... per the upthread comment, "something of value" is indeed being exchanged?
Don't be silly. Obviously this is a business arrangement from which both parties expect to benefit, it's governed by a binding contract, etc... It probably even does have a set of billing rates for stuff at the margin, even. But no, it probably doesn't involve much real money flowing.
None of this is "for free" in any kind of economic sense.
Can you give defintions for "a benefit" and "value" such that your statement is not self-contradicting? Those look like synonyms to me. And to the law, for that matter: there's nothing that requires a business contract be exchanged with money alone.
Do we really need to be this pedantic? There is no money exchanging hands for this transaction. Apple / YouTube / Netflix puts a rack of stuff in the ISP for no charge. With the right traffic patterns everybody wins:
- End users get a better experience because there are fewer hops between the content and their computer.
- ISP gets to pay less on transit
- The content provider also spends less on transit while providing a better end-user experience
That's the point though. Value isn't "money" -- that's not pedantry, it's a comparatively profound truth. Asserting that this business arrangement constitutes getting something "for free" is missing the point.