Recovering Space When Deleting Content

When I delete content that had been previously uploaded, it does not "free up" that space on my account. So I could upload 250 hours worth of content, delete it all, and then have no ability to upload any content to my account without paying for more space? This doesn't seem like a very good policy, although I recognize that there may be some reason for it that I am unaware of. Still, if it is going to remain the policy, then I it should be CLEARLY stated both before purchasing a plan and before uploading content for the first time on the account.