equal, open-access basis. Regulators play a key role in ensuring that wholesale networks owned by dominant operators – particularly when funded by public funds – are available on a non-discriminatory basis to help reduce the costs and barriers for new market entrants wishing to invest in broadband infrastructure. Open access can be mandated by the regulator through a licensing process or by ensuring that government fibre deployments are designed on an open-access basis to promote infrastructure competition. • Rural interventions have largely led to deployment of wireless solutions due to the challenging economics of rural and hard-to-reach areas. Regulators have played an important role in encouraging operators to explore alternative ways of reducing costs for such wireless networks. The interventions vary in their nature, from building shared, passive infrastructure to encouraging active infrastructure sharing and spectrum pooling. Regulators will need to set up processes to monitor the market to ensure that operators are being treated fairly. They will also need to set out guidelines for sharing infrastructure and pooling spectrum if these are being considered.• Network-sharing deals (particularly for mobile operators) have been subject to much less regulatory and competition oversight than in-market consolidation deals. A wave of network outsourcing deals has convinced regulators that operation of networks and delivery of services are two distinct things. Meanwhile, end users benefit from improved coverage, particularly in rural areas.• Regulators may play a role in directing investment or offering licences to encourage broadband investment in those areas needing it most. Regulators can also ensure that licensed operators meet performance standards, that interconnection agreements are upheld, and that prices are competitive. In these cases, regulators need to set up processes to gather market information and monitor the market on a regular basis. Other, less direct roles include facilitating information-sharing by providing up-to-date broadband coverage and mapping data, allowing infrastructure investment to be prioritized in those areas where market failure has occurred.Regulators have also played a key role in attracting new market entrants, leading to innovative approaches to broadband investment. Regulators can:• Allow operators to decommission and liquidate their copper networks, which can provide an attractive cash source to invest in broadband networks. However, this will only be possible in countries without mandates for wholesale services such as local loop unbundling (LLU) and bitstream services, which may have to be preserved for open-access availability to other providers. • Ensure that market conditions are conducive to attracting investment from new entrants. For example, it is important for new entrants to be clear about the existing infrastructure (e.g. ducts, telephone poles) they can use and the rules that guide that usage. Other important aspects include having quick access to construction and permission licences. • Consider authorizing pilot projects to attract market interest, in order to promote investment in new technologies. Regulators’ reluctance to facilitate technical trials, particularly with wireless technologies, may dampen investment. • Play a role in encouraging community broadband networks. In February 2015, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission allowed two community broadband providers in the states of Tennessee and North Carolina to expand the geographical range of their services. The law in these two states had previously prevented such expansion from taking place.Some of the regulatory factors investors consider particularly important are detailed extensively in the 2009 edition of Trends in Telecommunications Reform.123 These aspects are still valid considerations that regulators and governments should take into account when developing or considering regulatory policy. Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2016 39 Chapter 1