with Fios you will still get X number of hops between your computer and your broker. With T1 you can get a direct line point-to-point. That is the difference.
I'm currently on Fios. I like it. But not all neighborhoods have it. It is a new fiber optics line. Before I was on the regular cable line, and the companies of it kept changing. It was slower than Fios, and less reliable. Fios cable TV is good too. It comes with lots of great channels, including CNBC World, Bloomberg, BBC, and lots of documentary channels I was not getting with my old cable providers. It has lots of round the clock music only channels with different types of music, basically like a radio station without commercials, which I like to listen to when cooking.
That's if you get a T1 to your broker. When most people here talk about getting a T1, they are talking about getting a T1 to their ISP. A dedicated T1 to your broker is much more expensive proposition then an ISP (internet) T1. Remember no one can guarantee 99.xxx% uptime - all they can do is compensate you if they fail to meet their SLA.
I'm not sure. But I can tell you that I currently use SlingBox to get the TV signal to my computer. The SlingBox is hooked up to my Fios cable box, and it is also hooked up to my modem. This way, anywhere that has internet access, like coffee shop or hotel room, I can access my SlingBox from it and watch my cable TV from my laptop. There is even a way to change the chanel, if the remote control codes of the device hooked up to the slingbox is available. Slinbox updates remote control codes from time to time to include previously unlisted devices. But currently Slingbox does not have the remote control codes for my Fios cable box. Also, there is a bit of a delay from the time the signal gets transported from my Fios cable box, through my Slingbox, and to my computer. The delay is about 5 seconds I estimate, and this is when I'm at my house, and directly wired to my home network, that I notice the difference between the television and my computer. Not sure how the delay is when I'm acessing the slingbox from a remote site. I think Sony makes something like the slingbox. It is more expensive, but you might want to check it out. Might be better technology, or might have the remote control codes that slingbox doesn't have.
Fios just became available in my area in Los Angeles last summer. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I opt'd for the Verizon cable/internet package. I have a cell phone, I don't need a hard line too. Anymeow, I hard wired my entire house, and my average speeds are 12 to 15 Mbits up and 1.5 Mbits down. Totally worth the ~$120 I pay a month. Oh, for whatever reason, I initially tried the Wireless G route. I noticed that even with everything set up properly, I was losing about 25% of my connection speed out of the gate. Hence, I crawled the entire underside of my house and ran ethernet cable to every room. =) Lastly, to the user above questioning why there was copper going into his house. Generally, in my area anyway, Fiber is run from box on the side of your house to the pole and then to wherever the heck it goes to from there. It is still coax copper core from the box on the side of my house to the Fios modem / router sitting in the hall closet. Fios >>>>>>>> T1 in all situations other than were Fios is unavailable... which still seems to be a lot of places. Oh, and yes, a dedicated T1 from your computer to your broker would be best case, but it's also the most expensive case by far. I hope you get it in your area soon!!!
My experience with Fios is positive. I cannot even compare the difference with cablevision. I NEVER lose signal, not once with fios and that was the main reason I switched. Cablevision signal had interruptions often, and that is in the north- east NJ area. The switch is the best thing I have done. I can agree as someone posted, connect direct with an ethernet line as the wireless signal had lost quit a bit of its speed. Once wired direct the speeds are just great. Worth it, definitely.
FIOS TV is delivered via coax like cable, there are some analog stations (that will eventually go away) for the rest (digital) you need a QAM tuner. If you want to get premium stations then you would need a cablecard somewhere in the mix too. FIOS TV is not IPTV (yet). FIOS is excellent if you can get it - highly recommended.
The OP was not talking about a point to point T1, I'm assuming. A PtP T1 costs about $400-$800 per month. A T1 to the internet is more comparable to FIOS/Cable. You can not compare with PtP.