Traditional copper-based access-networks will not be able to support the recent increase in internet traffic for much longer. Hence, new fiber-to-the-home (FTTH)-networks are being built in various countries. In the context of the current economic crisis, investments in fiber-based infrastructures are an ideal stimulus. This paper presents and analyzes international FTTH-policies with respect to the deployment and financing of infrastructures well as the conditions for access to them. It then discusses key elements of such policies and the associated trade-offs in attaining their goals: Incentives for service competition may defer infrastructure investments while cost-effective network structures constrain the potential for future competition on all network layers.