ASPEN, COLORADO - The much-anticipated seventh edition of The Progress & Freedom Foundation's Digital Economy Fact Book was released here today at PFF's annual Aspen Summit, and is available on the PFF web site. The well-known and well-used resource guide to the digital economy features a new section this year on digital media, reflecting the growth of that market, while retaining its information on hardware, communications, e-commerce and investment. Significant information on data security also has been included. The reference book was co-written by PFF Senior Fellow and Vice President for Research Thomas M. Lenard and Research Associate Michael J. Pickford, with PFF's Brooke E. Emmerick and Alicia Fazzano assisting with the publication.

"The Progress & Freedom Foundation continues to dedicate itself to the study of the digital revolution and its effects on the social, commercial and political spheres of human interaction," says PFF President Ray Gifford. "As always, this study is aided by taking stock of the facts surrounding the digital economy, observing where it is headed, what parts of it are growing, what parts are waning, and thinking about new metrics necessary to capture its multiplicity and dynamism."

The Fact Book includes more than one hundred pages of charts, graphs and statistics on the digital economy, including the growth of the Internet; the hardware sector; the communications sector; e-commerce; the financing of the digital economy; and the IT sector in the digital economy. New this year is a chapter on digital media with statistics and findings on television, radio, gaming, music, blogging and Internet news. Current information related to data security can also be found. The book covers 2004 to 2005.

For seven years the Fact Book has documented the growth, setbacks and evolution of various sectors and services in the digital economy. It has long been considered by policymakers, reporters and analysts to be a 'must-have' source of objective data. While PFF scholars are prolific in producing papers and presentations offering their views on developments in the digital economy, the Fact Book has always taken a 'just-the-facts' approach that can be used by any interested party as a starting point for research and examination.

The Seventh Edition of the Digital Economy Fact Book is online at the PFF web site, as are the five most recent editions.

The Progress & Freedom Foundation is a market-oriented think tank that studies the digital revolution and its implications for public policy. It is a 501(c)(3) research & educational organization.