Regulatory Economics

Regulatory Strategy, Policy, and Advice

Regulatory Strategy, Policy, and Advice

NERA is in an unrivalled position to provide advice on regulatory issues and strategy, drawing on first-hand experience with telecommunications regulation in many countries and on an understanding of the crucial relevance of economic theory and analysis to regulatory policy. We help telecommunications operators understand the key regulatory issues and the implications for their businesses, devise an appropriate regulatory strategy and influence the decision making process. Our work includes advice, reports and testimony regarding regulatory options, as well as productivity growth analyses for use in incentive regulation plans.

We have provided advice on and analyses of:

  • Proposed new measures for regulating the rollout of mobile base stations;
  • Regulatory proposals for assessing the extent of competition in individual communications markets;
  • Proposed changes in price cap regulation;
  • The negative effects of excessive and/or asymmetric regulation on competitive markets;
  • Proposed universal service funding (USF) policies;
  • Competitive theory and implementation of the US Telecommunications Act of 1996;
  • Advantages and disadvantages of employing the various costing approaches to price network services and unbundled network elements; and
  • Interconnection and collocation costs and benefits, focusing on the negative effects of excessive regulation.

Regulatory Reform, Privatization and Sector Restructuring

We have substantial experience in assessing the impact of liberalization, including analyses of the impacts of competition on the market, the financial consequences for incumbent operators and broader economic and employment impacts. NERA advises governments and regulatory agencies on the design of the regulatory framework and the sector structure in the context of privatization or sector reform. We provide advice on efficient regulatory structure, on methodologies to assess its effectiveness and on issues relating to monitoring the performance of the incumbent operator.

NERA also carries out cost/benefit analyses of alternative policy options and assesses the economic impact of licensing new operators, of telecommunications investment and of the use of radio resources.

Incentive Regulation, Price Caps and the Determination of the 'X' Factor

Many states and nations have abandoned traditional rate-of-return (cost-based) regulation in favor of incentive-based regulation. NERA is a leading firm in designing incentive plans and securing approval for these plans from regulatory agencies. We have carried out studies of comparative efficiency for numerous regulators and operators, employing advanced econometric and mathematical techniques. Our capabilities include building price cap models to help regulators to determine the 'X' factor in the price cap formula. Our experts are well positioned to understand the economic issues of cost and to help clients understand the cost concepts appropriate to address the variety of questions that arise in today's environment.

Name Title Location Phone Email
Dr. Christian Dippon Senior Managing Director
Chair of NERA's Global Energy, Environment, Communications & Infrastructure Practice
Washington, DC
New York City
+1 202 466 9270
+1 212 345 1732
christian.dippon@nera.com
Richard Druce Senior Managing Director London +44 20 7659 8540 richard.druce@nera.com
Sean Gammons Senior Managing Director London
Berlin
+44 20 7659 8564
+49 30 700 1506 01
sean.gammons@nera.com
James Mellsop Senior Managing Director
Chair of NERA's Global Antitrust and Competition Practice
Auckland
Wellington
Sydney
+64 9 928 3290
+64 4 819 2550
+61 2 8864 6536
james.mellsop@nera.com
Kurt G. Strunk Senior Managing Director New York City +1 212 345 5035 kurt.strunk@nera.com
Daniel Hanson Managing Director London +44 (0)207 659 8812 daniel.hanson@nera.com
Kevin Counsell Director Wellington
Sydney
+64 4 819 2551
+61 2 8864 7235
kevin.counsell@nera.com
Willis Geffert Director Washington, DC +1 202 466 9293 willis.geffert@nera.com
Marta Moro Senior Consultant Madrid +34 91 521 0020 marta.moro@nera.com
Jonathan Falk Affiliated Consultant New York City +1 212 345 5315 jonathan.falk.affiliate@nera.com
Mike King Affiliated Consultant Denver
San Francisco
Washington, DC
+1 303 357 4781
+1 303 618 4915
+1 303 618 4915
mike.king.affiliate@nera.com
Dr. Chantale LaCasse Affiliated Consultant Washington, DC
Toronto
+1 202 466 9218
+1 416 868 7314
chantale.lacasse@nera.com
Dr. Hethie Parmesano Affiliated Consultant Los Angeles +1 213 346 3000 hethie.parmesano.affiliate@nera.com
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