WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 -- A new nonprofit group will represent communities with fiber-to-the-premises (fttp) networks by promoting their benefits. "Our goal is to inform homeowners and businesses about the advantages of living and working in a fiber optic community," said Max R. Kipfer, founder and president of the group, Fiber Optic Communities of the United States (FOCUS). "Fiber networks are changing the way people live. Telecommuting, distance learning and future in-home medical applications are now a reality in these communities. Buy a new home without fiber, and you are missing a tremendous quality-of-life amenity that will soon be the standard. FOCUS will help spread the knowledge about fiber communities. Kipfer was executive vice president and general manager of OpenBand of Virginia from 2000 to 2003. He previously was executive vice president and COO of Dulles, Va.-based Benchmark Communications and has held management positions with Cablevision Systems, Storer Cable, Comcast Cable and Multivision Cable TV. Paul Morris, executive director of the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency (UTOPIA) fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network, said, "FOCUS is being organized to inform consumers where they can go to enjoy the benefits of optical fiber By combining forces, we will connect fiber communities across the country." As of April 2004 there were 128 fiber communities in the US, according to market research firm Render, Vanderslice and Associates, of Tulsa, Okla. "Communities with fiber optic infrastructure are the way of the future," said Amanda Jensen, communications manager for Brambleton, a 6000-home FTTP community in Loudoun County, Va. "Fiber communities are springing up all over Northern Virginia and the country. FOCUS will help us inform the public an FOCUS will be officially launched Oct. 25 at the National Press Club in Washington. The event will feature industry associations, community and government leaders, including Leonard Ray, vice president of the Fiber-to-the-Home Council, and Michael Render of Render, Vanderslice and Associates. For more information, visit: www.communitiesinfocus.org