FTC Snapshot
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hopes that under its watch, the buyer won't have to beware. The agency has served as the government's defender of fair commerce since 1914, when the FTC Act was passed to prevent unfair competition in business. Today, the FTC administers a variety of laws on behalf of consumers and businesses, including the Telemarketing Sales Rule (the law behind the "do-not-call" list), and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The FTC performs its functions through individual Bureaus of Consumer Protection (addressing advertising, marketing, and consumer lending), Competition (antitrust issues), and Economics (impact analysis of government regulation on various markets and industries).