FIOS means fiber optic which means the speed of light. Recent breakthroughs allow multiple signals down one fiber cable, which means multiple times the speed of light.

Yes, the fault for slow service in the US, as compared to the rest of the world, is people like this guy - not that the local telco and local cable company have a monopoly over the local loop and are usually one of the biggest, if not the biggest contributors to state (and federal) government campaigns.