and the Digital Economy

Free TV Australia is the peak industry body representing each of Australia’s commercial free-to-air television licensees. Free TV Australia welcomes the Government’s review of convergent media. The proposed terms of reference provide a solid base for the Committee to undertake the wide-ranging, comprehensive review required. However, Free TV recommends some amendments to specifically address the following: • The appropriate level of licence fee paid by commercial free-to-air television broadcasters; • The current regulatory imbalance across platforms and industry sectors; • The appropriate level of oversight and intervention by the media regulator across all media platforms; and • Enabling the Committee to report on a staged basis as appropriate. The context and urgent need for the review The current regulatory framework which pre-dates the introduction of pay TV, the internet, the NBN, smartphones, iPads, IPTV and the general convergence of media content, is well out of date. The advent of the NBN is a game changer for everyone and has increased the need for an urgen