What you've asked is really an interesting juxtaposition between where the changes have gone. Based on traditional media, $500,000 is a very reasonable amount. The observation you made, however, and the point I raised about digital media increasing enormously and being much cheaper should raise some flags.
What is the solution? One is to try to develop a change in the culture of government departments—because right now the regulation says they can voluntarily request a permit under $500,000—to one where that is seen as the norm. The second solution is to rethink whether that $500,000 ceiling is adequate in an age of social media, where governments are continuing to spend more money.