FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AT 10 A.M. EST 
                        WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2001

Public Information Office                                    CB01-43
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     Census Bureau Releases First Official Snapshot of 'E-Commerce'

 The Commerce Department's Census Bureau today released the first official
snapshot of "e-commerce" activities for key sectors of the U.S. economy.

 The E-Stats report covers the value of goods and services sold online,
whether over open networks such as the Internet or proprietary networks
such as Electronic Data Interchange.

 The findings cover manufacturing, merchant wholesale trade, retail trade
and selected service industries.

 The report is available on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/estats