Drift velocity-- the actual (physical) velocity of electrons along the wire.
Transmission velocity-- the rate at which information can be transmitted electronically using conducing wires.
How is it possible that the transmission velocity is so much faster (close the speed of light)? Is it clear what my confusion here is? What is the information transmission? In a circuit with no active devices, what information is possibly being transmitted? Is this only reffering to circuits with active devices?