Federal Trade Commission

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the only U.S. federal agency with both consumer protection and competition jurisdiction in broad sectors of the economy.

According to its website, the FTC pursues vigorous and effective law enforcement; advances consumers’ interests by sharing its expertise with federal and state legislatures and U.S. and international government agencies; develops policy and research tools through hearings, workshops, and conferences; and creates practical and plain-language educational programs for consumers and businesses in a global marketplace with constantly changing technologies.

History
When the FTC was created in 1914, its purpose was to prevent unfair methods of competition in commerce as part of the battle to "bust the trusts." Over the years, Congress passed additional laws giving the agency greater authority to police anticompetitive practices. In 1938, Congress passed a broad prohibition against "unfair and deceptive acts or practices." Since then, the Commission also has been directed to administer a wide variety of other consumer protection laws, including the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Pay-Per-Call Rule and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. In 1975, Congress gave the FTC the authority to adopt industry-wide trade regulation rules. The FTC’s work is performed by the Bureaus of Consumer Protection, Competition and Economics. That work is aided by the Office of General Counsel and seven regional offices.

Links

 * Federal Trade Commission, official website
 * National Antitrust Hall of Fame, an online project that catalogs abuses of the Federal Trade Commission
 * Hooked by Government by Timothy Terrell, June 1996
 * Defining the Extent of the Market: the Whole Foods Case by Art Carden, June 2009
 * Federal Trade Commission v. Whole Foods Market, Inc., by Brett M. Kavanaugh, May 2010
 * Blockbuster vs. the FTC (Keeping Future Competition Safe?) by S. M. Oliva, June 2010
 * The FTC vs. the FTC by S. M. Oliva, February 2011