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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alan Fogg,
Director of Communications
afogg@fceda.org, 703-790-0600
Fairfax County, Virginia,
The Internet Capital
Fairfax County, Virginia, June 4, 1998 — More than 20 years ago, Dr. Vinton Cerf and Dr. Robert Kahn were two Fairfax County scientists working for the U.S. Department of Defense to link computers through telephone lines. Their work evolved into an electronic communication system for research scientists now known as the Internet. Drs. Cerf and Kahn’s work sparked an international communications revolution that fundamentally changed the way people live and work. The conversion of the Internet from a government tool to an international communication phenomenon thrust Fairfax County from the largest producer of Virginia dairy products to the international information technology forefront.
At a recent National Press Club appearance, the "Fathers of the Internet," Robert Kahn, president of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives and Vinton Cerf, vice president at MCI, spoke about the explosive growth in Fairfax County as a result of the booming Internet economy.
"Fairfax County began seeing the rise of brand new industries supporting and centered around the Internet, including telecommunications companies, satellite operators and systems integrators," said Kahn.
A recent article in the Los Angeles Times, cites Virginia as "the world’s electronic nerve center," poised to cash in on a profound shift taking place in the technology industry. As Virginia’s technology center, Fairfax County is leading not only the state, but also the international IT arena. Along with being the birthplace of the Internet, Fairfax County is home to more than 2,000 technology firms, including 100 Internet service providers such as PSINet and UUNet.
From June 21-24, Fairfax County will further demonstrate its global technology stronghold to the world as 1,800 cutting-edge business leaders from 86 countries gather for the 1998 World Congress on Information Technology.
At the 1998 World Congress, internationally recognized government and business leaders including Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher will join industry leaders Michael Dell of Dell Computers, Larry Ellison of Oracle, James Barksdale from Netscape, Phil Condit from Boeing and many more to address the importance of information technology to the future of a global economy.
Fairfax County was awarded the 1998 World Congress on Information Technology as a result of the efforts by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) and in clear recognition of the County’s dominance in the information technology industry.
The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority provides services and information designed to promote Fairfax County as a business location for domestic and international companies and organizations. The FCEDA assists businesses by identifying possible sites and facilities and is a source for up-to-date demographic and economic statistics. For more information, visit the FCEDA’s Web page at www.FairfaxCountyEDA.org.
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