When I call Schwab to place a trade (broker assisted) I pay 6.95, just like if I were able to do it online myself for an otc or pink stock.
I agree it is a pain, but as far as my experience goes, trading otcbbs through a broker WHEN THE ONLINE PLATFORM SAY YOU MUST CALL appears to be a revenue-neutral either/or for Schwab.
If I could afford to buy all of them, I would not need to buy any of them and I sure wouldn't be spending time on the message boards!