Making something available for free and paying for printed copyrighted material are not mutually exclusive.
Each municipality would still need to purchase a printed copy of the NEC to make it available for viewing. How many electricians will want to carry their free "downloaded" electronic copy in their toolbox? Who really wants to print and bind over 1000 pages?
My guess is there will still be a very large demand for printed copies. NFPA may not always be able to charge big bucks, but they will be able to charge something. Another money maker would be to make the Handbook comments "legal interpretations" and charge "two arms and a leg".
