The development of the InfoComm Industry is not just a phenomenon of the Nineties. While this Industry's importance has only recently become widely recognized, its influence on the growth of the Washington area economy has a long history. This history and the interdependencies that have evolved among InfoComm activities and the remainder of the area economy have established InfoComm as the largest private sector core industry driving the area's economic future.

The analyses presented in the following pages describe the relative contributions of the InfoComm Industry to the growth of the Washington area economy and demonstrate its importance to the economy's future performance. However to achieve the full economic potential of the InfoComm Industry and the long-term vitality of the region's economy, the capacity of the Washington area to support its future requirements, especially with respect to infrastructure and workforce, will be critical. To capture the full job and income growth potentials that can accrue to the remainder of the Washington area economy from the InfoComm Industry's continued expansion will require major and continuing commitments by the area's local government and business leaders.