Federal Trade Commission

E60161

The Federal Trade Commission is an independent U.S. government agency responsible for enforcing antitrust and consumer protection laws to promote fair competition and safeguard consumers.

Aliases (7)
  • U.S. Federal Trade Commission ×3
  • Bureau of Competition ×1
  • Bureau of Consumer Protection ×1
  • FTC ×1
  • Federal Trade Commission Commissioners ×1
  • National Do Not Call Registry ×1
  • US Federal Trade Commission ×1

Statements (84)
Predicate Object
instanceOf competition regulator
consumer protection agency
independent federal agency
appliesToJurisdiction United States
appointedBy President of the United States
canFile administrative complaints
federal court actions
canImpose civil penalties
equitable monetary relief
injunctive relief
commissionerTermLength 7 years
confirmedBy United States Senate
continent North America
cooperatesWith Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Department of Justice Antitrust Division
foreign competition authorities
state attorneys general
country United States
creator Federal Trade Commission Act
employs consumer education specialists
economists
investigators
lawyers
foundedBy United States Congress
governingBody Federal Trade Commission Commissioners
hasAuthority to challenge anticompetitive business practices
to challenge anticompetitive mergers
to conduct investigations
to issue trade regulation rules
to require reports and answers to specific questions
hasMotto Protecting America’s Consumers
hasPart Bureau of Competition
Bureau of Consumer Protection
Bureau of Economics
Office of General Counsel
Office of International Affairs
Office of Policy Planning
Office of the Chair
regional offices
headquartersLocation Washington, D.C.
inception 1914
industryFocus broad range of consumer markets
energy markets
financial services
health care markets
retail and e-commerce
technology and digital markets
jurisdiction United States federal government
legalBasis CAN-SPAM Act
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
Clayton Antitrust Act
Do Not Call Implementation Act
Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
Fair Credit Reporting Act
Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914
Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act
Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act
Sherman Antitrust Act
Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act
locatedInTheAdministrativeTerritorialEntity District of Columbia
missionStatement to protect consumers and promote competition
numberOfEmployees over 1,000
numberOfMembers 5 commissioners (by statute)
operatesProgram Consumer Sentinel Network
National Do Not Call Registry
operatesWebsite ftc.gov
oversightBy House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
partOf United States federal government
politicalIndependenceRule no more than three commissioners from the same political party
publishes business guidance documents
consumer education materials
purpose antitrust enforcement
consumer protection
prevention of unfair methods of competition
prevention of unfair or deceptive acts or practices
promotion of fair competition
regulates certain franchising and business opportunity practices
mergers and acquisitions with potential anticompetitive effects
privacy and data security practices of many businesses
telemarketing practices
unfair or deceptive advertising practices
shortName FTC
subordinateTo United States Congress (oversight)


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