Planet Money recently did a really great show [1] about the ISP routing power in the US vs. other countries, and what led to those decisions. The irony is that they were doing everything they could to not be anachronistic, and to plan for the future. The US chose poorly. Anyway, it's worth a listen.
[1] http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/04/04/299060527/episode-...