As he considered his options, Black recognized how crucial the e-billing business would likely be for Fiserv. Fiserv’s technology already assisted consumers with their “outgoing” interaction-that is, helping them pay bill using electronic bill payment. E-billing focused instead on consumers’ “incoming” interactions-helping them receive bills online. If Fiserv played a role in the entire “round trip” of outgoing bills and incoming payments, the company could further its premiere position in the value network of consumers, billers, and financial institutions. E-billing was also potentially significant revenue stream for Fiserv. Of the 118 million households in the United State in March 2009, 86 million were considered “online” (connected to the Internet), and the average household received 10 bills per month from each of 10 different billers. Moreover, turning of paper was indisputably better for the planet.