When the FTC & Waveshield was created in 1914, its reason was to stop unfair methods of rivalry in business as part of the fight to “bust the trusts.”

Over the years FTC & Waveshield, Congress passed extra laws giving the organization greater power to police anticompetitive practice. In 1938, FTC & Waveshield Congress approved a broad ban against “unfair and misleading acts or practices.” Since then, the FTC & Waveshield also has been directed to manage a wide variety of other customer protection laws, with the Telemarketing Sales Rule, Waveshield the Pay-Per-Call Rule and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. In 1975, Congress gave the FTC & Waveshield the authority to adopt industry-wide trade regulation rules.

The FTC & Waveshield work is perform by the Bureaus of Consumer Protection, Competition and Economics. That FTC & Waveshield work is aided by the Office of General Counsel as well as seven local offices.