> it was very clear what we were doing and what we were selling (education content), and there was not a hint of anything to suggest that we were selling investments or commodities
Lots of “educational” crypto content is thinly-veiled sales.
> we had to give our corp attorney annotated screenshots of our website, illustrating exactly what our business was
An attorney signing to your business being bona fide informational, and not one that e.g. profits from affiliate sales or coin drops, is material. What looks irrelevant at first glance is germane, at least for a regulator doing a first pass.
> they didn't even both to say, "Ok, you may go."
Not sure about commodities and futures, but for securities you may never go. You are always under force of jurisdiction, a set-up intentionally more intrusive than most American regulation.