"Universal service subsidies and other state-based support schemes do not help broadband penetration rates in rural areas, according to one of the first studies of empirical results of the effectiveness of such schemes. In a report that will be seized on by critics of government subsidy and competition policies, the AEI-Brookings Joint Centre for Regulatory Studies undertook a study that mapped broadband penetration across the US measured against various federal and state-based policies governing rights-of-way, unbundling, subsidies and direct municipal network provision. The study found that universal service mechanisms and programs targeted at underserved areas do not boost broadband penetration and may even slow it, possibly by giving an artificial advantage to one type of provider or another. Likewise, tax incentives appear to have no impact. It also concluded that laws limiting municipal deployment of broadband are not statistically correlated with broadband penetration; that access to public rights-of-way by broadband providers is strongly correlated with broadband penetration; and that telecom unbundling regulations also affect penetration, but resold lines are positively correlated with it."
The worldwide server market has entered a new phase defined almost entirely by artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure economics rather than traditional enterprise refresh cycles. The latest market data shows robust growth and a structural shift in where value is created, who captures it, and which architectures are setting the pace for the next decade. IDC reports that worldwide server revenue reached a record $112.4 billion in the third quarter of 2025, representing a striking 61 percent year-over-year increase compared to the same quarter in 2024. For context, this means the market is adding tens of billions of dollars in incremental quarterly spend, driven overwhelmingly by AI and accelerated computing requirements. IT Server Market Development Over the first three quarters of 2025, server revenue has already reached $314.2 billion, meaning the market has nearly doubled in size compared to 2024, underscoring how AI buildouts have compressed several years of exp...