There are two reasons for fiber deployment in the United States.
The Regional Bell companies are given very generous tax writeoffs for the installation of copper in neighborhoods since the beginning. Until recently (last 5-10 years), noone could use those wires except the phone company -- then came deregulation.
So, with deregulation, and the size of telephone gear getting smaller and space opening up in central offices and the Public Utilities commission requiring the phone companies to give access to competitors and access to the copper plant in return for the regional bell companies to sell long distance, the regional bell companies must give access to their copper to CLECs (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier).
So, what to the bell systems do? they deploy FTTC (Fiber to the Curb) with the last-mile served over copper. The Bell Company lays fiber down, puts a Remote SLC (Subscriber Line Carrier) in an area, connects it via fiber to the CO (central office), connects it to the copper going to the home and shortens the service distance to be able to deliver DSL services to more customers. While doing this, they turn off the sealing current delivered to the copper wires that went from the CO to where the new SLC is.
Sealing current is sent down lines and through bridge taps in the lines to prevent corrosion. You might ask why they would turn that off. The simple answer is, it destroys their copper infrastructure from the CO to the residences -- the very copper that they must provide competitive access to. So, thanks to the government allowing the phone company to become a monopoly, and thanks to deregulation and the PUC mandating access to the copper plant, the phone companies now have the ability to sell long distance, and, are meeting the requirements of allowing their competitors access to copper wires that go.... nowhere.
So, while they are not technically a monopoly anymore, they still have no competition and thus, are not forced to innovate. Until someone is able to deliver competitive service or better service and work around the phone companies, there is no real need for the phone companies to offer anything more than they do.
And because the government legislated it so, the Bells are doing everything in their power to maintain that 'monopoly' without being called a monopoly.
3G might spurn some development and cause the bell's to release something slightly faster than that service. Cable companies around here claim 6mb/sec -- as the local bell company sees some loss in their numbers, they'll offer 8mb. I've done 8mb ADSL back as far as '94. The equipment that is used for DSL is no different than the equipment that the phone companies have been using to deliver T1s for ages. Paradyne has had 11mb ADSL using 3 pair for distances up to 12000' since 95, so, none of this is 'new' technology. I think the earliest VDSL circuit that I saw was in the late 90s. Tut systems used to make a 10mb DSL balun that was purchased by a company selling to hotels so that they could run 10mb ethernet on the same wires that delivered phone service to each room -- saving thousands of dollars in rewiring costs for each room. Again, late 90s -- 7 years ago. An eternity in terms of data.
DSL isn't new. High speed dsl isn't new. Getting it deployed is the hard part. And the VDSL that Korea is using is based on Pairgain & Paradyne's initial units -- both US based companies. Paradyne used to be very highly financed by a company in Paramas, NJ called AT&T.
In fact, the demo units I had in 97 had the AT&T deathstar on them -- but it was a paradyne rep that visited.
So, we're not behind on innovation -- we're behind on deployment.