To get back to the original question regarding the "diameter" of the Internet, it would appear to me that we are easily looking at about 30 to 40 hops just within North America -- and easily double that to reach the rest of the Internet outside of North America. Of course, the "Top 5 Channels" are probably only a few hops away due to CDNs, but this is for the most part irrelevant (unless one only wants to watch the Top 5 channels) ...
--- The fact that there's a Highway to Hell but only a Stairway to Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic volume.
