Australia seeks to control new media

A proposal by the Australian federal government's Convergence Review to create a new regulatory watchdog has received a harsh welcome from media companies, which say such a move would create excessive regulation and compliance costs for the media industry, Business Spectator reports.

The review's final report introduced additional regulation intended to force more media groups to produce more local video content.

Communications minister Stephen Conroy set up the review to create a framework for a "converged media age", in which online content breaks down the barriers between print, radio and TV, The Australian states.

Google and Facebook would fall outside the proposed regime, while traditional TV networks would be subject to increased local content quotas, and print companies would face an expanded statutory watchdog.

According to the Final Report, Internet, telecommunications and media organisations will now be defined as content service enterprises (CSEs) only if they have control over the professional content they deliver or have a large number of Australian users of that content, PC Advisor says.

Australia's major telcos, Telstra and Optus, offer television-like services to Australian consumers, yet would appear to not be classified as CSEs.