It is entirely possible for people to be paid to produce something that is made available at no cost to certain other people. For example, that hand sanitizer dispensor at the pet store. Yes, somebody is paying for it.
In the case of a standards body, the people that do the work can get paid in various ways. The finished product can be published "for free".
In some research contexts this could very much be expected. If researchers were paid through tax-funded grants, for instance, the results of the research should be available to those tax payers. If they are also available to non-taxpayers, perhaps there is some altruism at play.
It's not an absolute given. But it's not an unreasonable expectation.
In the case of a standards body, the people that do the work can get paid in various ways. The finished product can be published "for free".
In some research contexts this could very much be expected. If researchers were paid through tax-funded grants, for instance, the results of the research should be available to those tax payers. If they are also available to non-taxpayers, perhaps there is some altruism at play.
It's not an absolute given. But it's not an unreasonable expectation.