Interstate Commerce Commission

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), independent U.S. government agency, the first regulatory commission in U.S. history. It was established in 1887 in response to western farmers' protests against the rate-setting practices of the railroads. Eventually its authority was extended over all surface transportation of passengers and freight across state lines. The deregulation movement of recent years has seen the curtailment of ICC power over railroads (1980), trucking (1980), and intercity buses (1982).