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.

Example Sentences

Since 1887, when Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroad rates, the government has had semi-independent boards and commissions led by a mix of Republicans and Democrats.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2026

It took decades of public anger to regulate the railroads through the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1887.

From New York Times • Apr. 22, 2022

The last Freedom Rides took place in December 1961, after the Interstate Commerce Commission officially prohibited segregation in interstate transit terminals.

From Washington Post • Jul. 15, 2021

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

It is a humiliating spectacle to see the self-debased railroad officials confessing their own guilt by refusing to testify before the Interstate Commerce Commission on the ground that they would thereby criminate themselves.

From The Railroad Question A historical and practical treatise on railroads, and remedies for their abuses by Larrabee, William