Doesn't change the fact that what he said was some crap he made up, and the book still says you need to say it.

Also, it depends on their procedures. Cleveland Center going to JFK gives you a PD to cross a fix on the STAR at 230, and New York Center wants to know when you start descending as that's their handoff to another freq. They'll ask if you don't tell them.

Elsewhere, yes, the answer usually is "ok". But it's in the book, and it's not a "only non-radar environment" as OP claimed.

Now, what people really should be annoyed about is people trying to sound cool and saying "decimal" instead of "point" in the US.