Partner
· 5d
They can't pay for fees to store arbitary data without OP_RETURN
Incorrect. The data migrates into fake public keys, spendable scripts, or whatever else they can code to accomplish the task.
BIP-110 devs have even stated this which is why they have the 1 year timebomb in their code. Luke's own words say it is a forced deadline/window to develop and deploy a better, longer-term solution.