independent U.S. government agency that investigates fraudulent practices in interstate trade
Federal Trade Commission. the Federal Trade Commission a US government organization that is responsible for making sure that trade between companies and their customers is fair. If two companies plan to merge (=join together to become a single large company) , the FTC finds out whether this arrangement will be unfair to other companies or to customers in general. There is a similar organization in the UK called the Monopolies and Mergers Commission