Infrastructure includes those assets that assist in the production or distribution of goods and services that firms themselves cannot easily provide. Infrastructure facilitates transportation, communication, and financing. It includes basic research, which can enable firms to find better production techniques. The government also has a key role, both because the government affects the conditions under which firms do business (e.g. regulations) and because the government is a direct supplier of infrastructure (e.g. interstate highways). Infrastructure reduces the costs associated with business transactions, thereby making these transactions feasible.