I think one of the concerns I have is that the forced sub will stifle the available community. I know its a dead horse but exactly what I think hurts Agnarr and maybe other TLP's over time. Surely they can create a different (probably better) revenue stream. Depending how you like to define community...its incredibly important to EQ and any online game for that matter.
Logging onto a dead server really sucks especially in EQ where most of the community like groups, guilds, and an active economy. I'm not saying that the server will experience a stable population from opening to 3-5 months after launch but its the ebb and flows of the community that I think DBG underestimates. EQ players get the itch and I don't know how many times people would go in and out of a server if its available without a pay wall. I would much rather pay to make my experience unique with cosmetics, mounts, etc. than paying to make the most basic version of that experience available.
Keep the door open and people will invest at this point in EQ's life over time. In my opinion its much more attractive to have an active population and then make sure money from that larger pool of players.