It will take into account submissions from industry participants (some of them, such as News Corp's, were extremely lengthy), public forums involving journalists and media executives, and furious behind the scenes lobbying.

That ACCC inquiry was the brainchild of a man who is no longer even in the federal parliament - indepedent South Australian senator Nick Xenophon - and secured his support to repeal cross media ownership laws.

(As an aside - what a momentus development that legislation was for the industry. The negotiations over that bill led to this ACCC review, another review into the ABC demanded by One Nation which also backed the repeal; as well as paving the way for the historic Nine-Fairfax merger).

But it has taken on added significance, or veered off course from the perspective of digital giants, following a string of Facebook missteps.

They include a series of disastrous privacy breaches, most notably the Cambridge Analytica debacle, which together with Russian interference resulted in its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg being hauled before US congress.

Facebook has suffered additional breaches since then - including one last week that affected 30 million users. Google has also suffered privacy breaches this year. Both companies have been criticised for failing to stop fake news and hoaxes.

Which gets to the point. The digital giants would argue competition laws should not used to regulate issues such as privacy, or for that matter, the quality of news or the spread of online hoaxes.

Others in the media landscape see it differently.

All of which means the ACCC is in a tricky position.

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The review of digital platforms wasn't its idea. But it has geuninely attracted global scrutiny - at least in regulatory circles. Interest over how to reign the tech giants globally is at a fever pitch - and for good reason.

Google (which has an advertising partnership with Fairfax Media publisher of this website) and Facebook have monopoly-like positions in search and social media respectively. They also dominate digital advertising.

Yet they are comparatively unregulated compared to the media companies they disrupted.

Rod Sims risks looking weak if the ACCC doesn't come up with some form of solution to these types of issues, even if the review is strictly about their impact on legacy media in Australia.

At the same time, the regulator risks overreach at a time when Australia's reputation as as an innovation economy is not exactly strong.

The ACCC hasn't been afraid to take on tech giants before and it doesn't need to concern itself with matters such as Australia's broader standing.

The most headline worthy suggestion of note - News Corp's proposal for an algorithim review board - would be represent an extraordinary level of interference by a government body into an internet (or for that matter media) company.

The ACCC hasn't been afraid to take on tech giants before and it doesn't need to concern itself with matters such as Australia's broader standing in innovation.

But the government of the day does.

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The digital platform review is taking place as draft legislation over encryption has been slammed by big tech companies.  Put that together with our flailing broadband infratructure and weak support for science and innovation and it doesn't look great from a new economy standpoint.

There's another six months between the ACCC draft report and the final report, which isn't due until June next year.

But anything dramatic ( such as an algorithim review board) would likely require new government legislation.  Which would mean there is much more lobbying and behind the scenes manouvering to come.