Policy Areas: e-Commerce

The foundation for e-commerce began in 1984 when electronic data interchange (EDI) was standardized so that companies could complete transactions with one another reliably. While Compuserve subscribers got a sneak peek in 1992, e-commerce didn’t take off until the mid ‘90s with the launches of amazon.com and ebay.com. As of late, consumers have been more accepting of e-commerce, partly because of the convenience and speed and partly because of the growing security offered. With the phenomenal global expansion of the internet, e-commerce has bolstered the opportunity for entrepreneurial growth, allowing businesses to reach customers around the world as well as around the corner. U.S. sales alone have topped $65 billion, a figure that will only continue to increase as a larger percentage of the population shops for its goods and services from the comfort of their own home.

Issues include:

• Broadband

• Encryption

• Transaction Taxation

• Privacy

• Intellectual Property

• Spam/Phishing

• Electronic Signatures

CRS Issue Briefs for Congress

• Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs
  by Lennard G. Kruger, Congressional Research Service

• Internet: An Overview of Key Technology Policy Issues Affecting Its Use and Growth
  by Marcia S. Smith et al, Congressional Research Service

:: View all issue briefs ::

Articles & Reports

• Small Business Expansions in Electronic Commerce

• Trends in Electronic Procurement and Electronic Commerce and Their Impact on Small Business

:: View all articles ::

Useful Resources

• Doing Business on the Internet

• The Electronic Commerce Guide

• E-Commerce Times

:: View all resources ::

POLICY AREAS

E-Commerce

Entrepreneurship Education

Financing

Intellectual Property

Minorities

Regulatory Burdens

Stock Options

Tax System

Technology Transfer

Women

Worker Benefits

Workforce Training