Hola SeanGG -
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To your question - If your airplane does not require to exceed 250 for above reasons... and you request high speed, a FAA ATC controller
does NOT have the authority to waive the speed limits. They know which airplanes require higher speeds at heavy gross weight, knowledge of basic performance capability of airplanes is one thing controllers know well, and I assume is part of their training.
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In other countries, regardless of their AIP speed limits, I used to request "high speed" below FL 100 for
arrival, such as CDG, MAD, or FCO, they rarely said "negative, reduce to 250 speed"... well to the contrary, at these airports,
they ask you to fly fast on arrival.
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Being Belgian-born, I speak French. One evening, I was having a beer in a hotel bar, near CDG. A few gentlemen were there, talking airplanes. I realized that they were ATC controllers. I went to shake hands, and introduced myself as a pilot, etc...
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We conversed for a while. Then they mentioned "you know, is very strange with USA carriers, we often ask them to fly faster than 250 to go with the flow of the traffic of other airplanes
but they say NO...! - why is that you think"...? - I had to explain to them that all US air carriers have the 250 below 10,000 speed limit as company policy in their GOM.
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Honestly, I can understand that while US pilots want to stick to their procedures, they do not realize that they upset approach control traffic management. Further, as these guys told me, "if an American does not want to fly fast, we will put him last for landing sequence"...
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So, my USA friends, if you want to save fuel, proceed as cleared by ATC, if they tell you "speed at your discretion" - in aviation English they mean "
FLY FAST". When ATC gave me "speed at my discretion", I did generally 280 KIAS until 10 NM from touch down, bearing in mind that my VFE for the first flaps extension is 275. I do not want to be nš 7 for landing sequence.
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Happy contrails