@Shrigglepuss @mastodonmigration @BBCRD @BBC5Live @BBCRadio4 @BBC_News_Labs @BBCTaster @Connected_Studio I doubt they mean they won't have to do *any* maintenance or monitoring. But the federation model with lots of moderators spread out everywhere democratizes the system in a way that a privately held social network isn't.
It's closer to an actual "public square" in that the "locals" along with the "shopkeepers" etc can impose some consequences on bad actors without having to appeal to a profit seeking entity with inscrutable aims.