it is the rules that need clarifying on this matter
The rules are quite clear, any controller should know exactly which rules they’re applying and I would expect any pilot to know what wake turbulence actions they should take. Sometime there is a mismatch between what the pilot is happy with and what the controller is permitted to apply. It’s a pity the rules don’t always match the real world risk and that there are so many variation of rules depending which flight rules, airport or state you fly from.