i said years ago that high tx costs, like we're starting to get now, will drive all these op_return companies away from Bitcoin. and it will be the fault of guys like iCEBlow, tvbcof, & the BS core devs. there will be repercussions:
What high TX costs? Its up a little, but still less than everything comparable (if anything is).
Miner revenue is up lately.
Using only slightly higher than default fee, your TX gets processed without delay.
The spammer had gotten his feet up to. 0002 earlier but it may have gone back down to. 0001. Yes not much for you or me but maybe not so for 3rd world. Yes, it's mostly an unusability issue. But still, Nasdaq is not going to get aggressive until a solution to the spam occurs.
Sure, in Venezuela where a month's labor at minimum wage under 33% monthly inflation is less than US$20 at black market exchange rates, such a fee becomes almost meaningful...
The largest bank note in Venezuela is worth about 16 cents currently.
But even (maybe especially) there the fee is affordable if you want to do a sure transaction with new coins.