Regulatory obligations to be imposed on operators with significant market power: Narrowband services

This paper provides a discussion of the generic problems in the provision of narrowband services that might require regulatory action, the principles that should be followed in the choice of remedies, and a number of detailed regulatory measures that might be applied in the various narrowband markets. This discussion is based on the assumption that the New Regulatory Framework has a de-regulatory focus, that sustainable competition without regulatory intervention tends to require investments in infrastructure, and that therefore the impact of remedies on investment incentives needs to be considered very carefully. The paper also argues that likely implementation problems need to be considered when assessing the most appropriate form of intervention (and, indeed, whether such intervention is overall beneficial)