The
Interstate Commerce Commission (
ICC) was a
regulatory agency in the
United States created by the
Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate
railroads (and later
trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of
common carriers, including
interstate bus lines and
telephone companies.
Congress expanded ICC authority to regulate other modes of commerce beginning in 1906. The agency was abolished in 1995, and its remaining functions were transferred to the
Surface Transportation Board.
The Commission's five members were appointed by the
President of the United States with the consent of the
United States Senate; the commission was authorized to investigate violations of the Act and order the cessation of wrongdoing. However, in its early years, ICC orders required an
order by a
federal court to become effective. The Commission was the first
independent regulatory body (or so-called
Fourth Branch), as well as the first agency to regulate
big business in the U.S.