I used to think so. 
Decades ago, there was a university experiment that made light allegedly go "faster than light" through a tube of radioactive gas (can't find the study).

They said before the entire pulse of light even finished entering the tube it was allegedly 60 ft(m?) away.

THIS article suggests we don't break Einstein's speed limit. We merely slowed light down so particles can move faster than light.

I used to dream that if we could accelerate a light signal faster than the speed of light BEFORE it hit a vacuum, then we could have a very focused interstellar method of communication with less lag.

But this article made me question my understanding (and the author's) of that article/experiment from years ago.