A group of “progressive” communities are banding together to form a non-profit organization that aims to educate consumers on the benefits of optical access networks.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Fiber Optic Communities of the United States (FOCUS) will center its efforts on fiber’s capability to pipe in data, voice and video services, and more advanced applications such as home security and home automation. The lobbying organization has already gathered participation from the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) and Brambleton, a 6,000-home fiber-to-the-premises community based in Loudoun County, Va.

“FOCUS will help spread the knowledge about fiber communities,” said Max Kipfer, founder and president of FOCUS.

The organization will also leverage a growing trend that is seeing cities, municipalities and utilities compete with incumbent telcos and cable operators with FTTP networks.

According to research from Render, Vanderslice and Associates, 128 fiber communities were up and running in the U.S. as of April 2004.