The Final Report, released today by communications minister, Stephen Conroy, marks the end of the Convergence Review, which began in December 2010 as an attempt to examine the policy and regulatory frameworks that apply to the converged media, telecommunications and information technology industries in Australia.

Among many recommendations, such as the creation of a with the authority to encourage competition and compliance, the Review has recommended the creation of a new category of media companies -- Content Service Enterprises or CSEs -- to better represent the move of telecommunications and internet companies into the media industry, and of media companies onto the internet and telecommunications industries.

Prior to the Final Report's release, companies such as Google and Facebook had expressed concern that the CSE proposal, first suggested in the (PDF), would be subject to similar minimum Australian content standards which currently apply to major free-to-air broadcasters.

Under the CSE proposal, foreign internet and media companies that were unable to produce minimum levels of Australian content would be obliged to contribute to a 'converged content production fund' designed to subsidise Australia's film, television, radio and digital media industries.

According to the Final Report, internet, telecommunications and media organisations will now be defined as CSEs only if they have control over the professional content they deliver, have a large number of Australian users of that content, and/or have a high level of revenue derived from supplying that professional content to Australians.