Yes, I think the alternatives are very important. In the context where I teach--I teach tutorials, some with small groups, seminars, whatever--I don't have a complete reading list at the beginning of one of those courses that can be turned into a course pack and sold at the bookstore. I have a core bunch of reading for any particular course, but I will have to respond to students' special interests, aptitudes, and questions that come up. There is no time from week to week for me to seek a transactional, one-time-only licence from an author or from a rights holder. There is no alternative.
Should I be barred from using, say, six pages from a book that costs $80, or wait until the next year and force all the students to buy the $80 book for that six pages? It just bears no relationship to the actual on-the-ground experience of university faculty.