Yes, this is old news. Our internet and heck, our consumer electronics stuff is behind many other countries'. Just look at the cell phones we get.
Unfortunately, the "cool" stuff isn't available in the US or isn't widely popular..........yet. I'm sure if the tech stuff was made availble and publicized, the public would go for it. Unfortunately, we also tend carefully guard our pocketbooks.
Example: American cars are rubbish. They're technologically 20 years behind, often loaded with glaring engineering faults, and built from melted down action figures. But because they're cheap, we're willing to buy them.