The Washington area has become recognized as one of the nation's important centers
for the information and communications industry (InfoComm). As the private sector
has become increasingly important to the vitality of the Washington area economy,
the primary sources of job and income growth have shifted from the federal government
to technology-based and other businesses that must compete in the national and global
economies.
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.
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