ABC backs review of Google, Facebook by watchdog … with reservations

The ABC says an ACCC review is “necessary” over Google and Facebook’s market dominance, but not to its detriment.

The ABC has backed a conditional review of Facebook and Google’s operations. Picture: AFP

The ABC has backed the competition watchdog’s recommendation for a review of Australia’s media regulatory framework, but not to the detriment of the public broadcaster.

In its submission to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission in response to the regulator’s preliminary report on digital platforms, the ABC said a review was “necessary” as the regulator looks to clamp down on Google and Facebook’s market dominance.

“The corporation’s view is that different technologies and business models will require that different approaches to compliance be considered, rather than the pursuit of a universal level-playing field,” the ABC said in its submission, made public by the ACCC yesterday.

The ACCC in December said Google and Facebook had “substantial market power” and outlined almost a dozen recommendations to hold them to account, including closer scrutiny of their activities by a new regulator and strict data collection rules, after a year-long landmark investigation.

The regulator is investigating the impact of Google and Facebook on the local news and advertising market, with a final report to be deliver to the federal government by June 3.

In the case of content regulation, the ABC said it was subject to a co-regulatory scheme under the Broadcasting Services Act in relation to its broadcast content. “The ABC’s system for setting and enforcing its content standards is primarily self-regulatory, through its editorial standards and guidelines. Any proposal which seeks to impose greater external oversight of these procedures will undermine the ABC’s independence and well-established governance arrangements.”

The framework covers all ABC content.

The corporation said it believed “public broadcasters and commercial entities do not, and should not, require the same regulatory treatment”.