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Government

Convergence review ready for submissions

The government today called for submissions on its convergence review of media and communications policy and legislation, releasing a framing paper to guide discussions with industry and the wider community. The final report is due for release in March 2012.
Written by Colin Ho, Contributor

The government today called for submissions on its convergence review of media and communications policy and legislation, releasing a framing paper to guide discussions with industry and the wider community. The final report is due for release in March 2012.

"Before we engage fully in our consultations we need to ensure we have the right starting point. We also want to hear the issues that stakeholders feel are important for the review to consider," Convergence Review Committee chairman Glen Boreham said in a statement.

"We want to hear from a broad range of Australians, so I encourage everyone with an interest in the review to contribute."

The 21-page framing paper outlines the committee's initial thinking and considerations. The final report released will advise government on policy framework to deal with media convergence, the ways to achieve desirable outcomes and the potential impacts of reform.

These considerations include the usage of spectrum and spectrum allocation, diversity of media content, diversity of media services, increasing competition in the media industries and the broadening of content formats, platforms and services.

The framing paper also discusses service providers being transparent about the platforms that will be used to deliver services.

When releasing the terms of reference for the review, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said that being able to access media anywhere had put a strain on Australia's current regulatory platform.

"The government recognises that regulatory measures designed in the 1980s may not be the most appropriate for the 21st Century. We need to ensure that Australia's regulatory framework continues to operate effectively and appropriately in a converged environment," he said at the time.

The closing date for submission is 10 June 2011.

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