Interstate Commerce Commission

American  

noun

U.S. Government.

1. a board, consisting of seven members, that supervises and regulates all carriers, except airplanes, engaged in interstate commerce. I.C.C., ICC

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Interstate Commerce Commission ¹ Cultural  

1. A federal agency for regulating commerce that takes place in more than one state. One of its most familiar activities is regulation of trucking.

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Interstate Commerce Commission ² Cultural  

1. A federal agency that monitors the business operations of carriers transporting goods and people between states. Its jurisdiction includes railroads, ships, trucks, buses, oil pipelines, and their terminal facilities.

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The ICC was established in 1887 as the first federal agency.

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Interstate Commerce Commission

Since 1887, when Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroad rates, lawmakers on Capitol Hill believed they had the authority to create independent boards and commissions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2025

The bill is in the vein of legislation that established agencies to oversee fast-growing industries, much like how Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2023

That November, buses were required to post signs saying, "Seating aboard this vehicle is without regard to race, color, creed, or national origin, by order of the Interstate Commerce Commission."

From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2021

The Interstate Commerce Commission folded in 1995 with 400 employees, down from 2,000 during its heyday regulating interstate business in the 1970s.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 9, 2019

Reviewing the situation in December, 1917, the Interstate Commerce Commission recommended immediate unification of the railroads into one system, operated under government control, as the only solution of the problem of conducting the war traffic.

From The Story of the Great War, Volume VII (of VIII) American Food and Ships; Palestine; Italy invaded; Great German Offensive; Americans in Picardy; Americans on the Marne; Foch's Counteroffensive. by Various