The re-assertion of America in ICT

It's become conventional wisdom in academia, politics, and the press that America has fallen behind in electronic communications. Where once America ruled supreme, bestowing the internet on the world, it is now an also-ran. Whether in broadband internet or in mobile communications, America is barely edging out Slovenia. This may have been true for a brief period, but is it still true? And why is this story line taken up with such relish?