DETAILS on the scrapping of Australia's cross-media and foreign media ownership rules, the allocation of new digital spectrum and increased regulatory powers for the Australian Communication and Media Authority will be unveiled this week.
Fierce lobbying is still taking place on the thorny issue of anti-siphoning regulations covering broadcast rights to major events, as media lobbyists gather in Canberra for a last-minute push.
Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams is expected to attack lack of detail in the Federal Government's proposed "use it or lose it" amendment to its anti-siphoning laws, in a speech to the Melbourne Press Club today.
In March, Communications Minister Helen Coonan said free-to-air networks would have to operate under a "use it or lose it" regime after conceding the list needed to be pruned.
She will determine how the regime is to operate after she receives a report from the ACMA.
Foxtel has blamed anti-siphoning laws for its decision to axe the dedicated 24-hour AFL station Fox Footy in the middle of negotiations with the Seven and Ten networks for next year's AFL broadcast rights.
Foxtel says the Government has given little detail on how the new anti-siphoning system will work in practice.
Foxtel's 25 per cent shareholder News Corporation, a critic of anti-siphoning regulations, said the draft criteria failed to make clear what constituted "usage" by the free-to-air networks.
"The criteria appear couched to support free-to-air television rather than open up the market," said News Corp spokesman Greg Baxter.
Senator Coonan is expected to lift Australia's 20-year-old cross-media and foreign media ownership laws and will give the regulatory watchdog, the ACMA, additional powers to oversee media diversity.
But in a move expected to displease some media proprietors, Senator Coonan is expected to tell the party room today she will allow free-to-air networks to bid for one licence of unallocated digital spectrum, with the other licence to be open for new bidders.
Telstra, Macquarie Bank and John Fairfax Holdings have expressed interest in bidding and have argued against allowing free-to-air networks to bid.
Mr Baxter said News Corp had not yet decided whether it would bid for the spectrum.
