Buying and selling on the Internet, known as e-commerce, has become big business, and is still growing. E-commerce has two components, business to consumer retailing and business to business supply-chain operations. Participation is dependent on access to and adoption of advanced information technologies. Access to technology is influenced by education, income, race, and residence (rural or urban). The South is disadvantaged in all these areas. Businesses in the South cannot afford to let the barriers hold e-commerce back. Rural businesses need to position themselves now for a technology-driven future to increase their chances of survival. Even though there is interest in e-commerce, there is a critical lack of unbiased educational information and technical assistance for businesses. To facilitate economic development through e-commerce in the rural South, all people and businesses must have the opportunity to be connected to the Internet; educational institutions must develop programs that assist businesses and communities with connectivity, infrastructure, e-commerce, and other technology-related issues; states must educate, recruit, and retain people with technical expertise in the region; and state and local policymakers must take a comprehensive and strategic look at e-commerce from an economic development perspective. (Contains 11 references.) (TD)