Given the L-band requires the $500/year subscription, would I be better off using two Facet standards (as base/rover), or can I expect the subscription service to come down in price as more subscribers are signed on? Tough choice as I hate subscriptions especially when I would only infrequently use the service.
Sounds too expensive. 
It’s a tricky call. I would say this: if you’re going to be located in a certain 10km area, setup a fixed base using an ESP32 with a ZED breakout: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/ho … p-option-2 It’s cheaper than a 2nd Facet, and very precise (14mm). If you’re doing work all over a county or larger area, L-Band is really convienient.
Facet L-Band Pros:
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Super easy to setup/use. No NTRIP configuration.
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Reception anywhere in US48/EU.
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No cost or hassle of setting up a base
Cons:
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Not quite as good RTK Fix precision (~3cm vs 1.4cm)
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Subscription cost = $500 yearly
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Limited to US48/EU
Two years later: With the release of the Torch, I am leaning towards getting that and using the Facet L-Band as a Base and the Torch as a Rover (both without the Correction Service). The challenge will be to get the Facet acting as a Base to properly log data formatted for OPUS positional correction. Overall, cost-wise, A standard Facet ($700) and the Torch ($1500) is cheaper than using the Facet L-Band with $600 yearly subscription (and likey to go up every year as it has) after one year.