Here in the UK with the advent of the ATSOCAS scheme ATCOs are expected to provide a free service to aircraft outside controlled airspace and accept the full legal liability for it, or have the CAAS (Civil Aviation Authority Stasi) investigate you to determine whether they agree that your refusal to provide a service (based upon common business sense) is in their eyes justified. Where else in the business world does this make sense?
Let's leave ATCOs to do the work that they are paid or contracted to do and tell the CAAS that if they wish a service to be provided to aircraft outside controlled airspace they fund it, if necessary charging users for it.