Editing Interstate Commerce Commission (section)

==Expansion of ICC authority==
[[File:How times have changed U. Keppler 1914.jpg|thumb|right|A 1914 cartoon shows railroad companies asking the ICC (depicted as [[Uncle Sam]]) for permission to raise rates, while the ghost of a horrified [[William Henry Vanderbilt]] looks on.]]

[[United States Congress|Congress]] expanded the commission's powers through subsequent legislation. The 1893 [[Railroad Safety Appliance Act]] gave the ICC jurisdiction over railroad safety, removing this authority from the states, and this was followed with amendments in 1903 and 1910.<ref>Safety Appliance Act of Mar. 2, 1893, 52nd Congress, 2nd session, ch. 196, {{usstat|27|531}}. Safety Appliance Act of March 2, 1903, 57th Congress, 2nd session, ch. 976, {{usstat|32|943}}. Safety Appliance Act of April 14, 1910, 61st Congress, 2nd session, ch. 160, {{usstat|36|298}}.</ref> The [[Hepburn Act]] of 1906 authorized the ICC to set maximum railroad rates, and extended the agency's authority to cover bridges, terminals, ferries, sleeping cars, express companies and oil pipelines.<ref>United States. Hepburn Act of 1906, 59th Congress, Sess. 1, ch. 3591, 34 Stat. 584, approved 1906-06-29.</ref>

A long-standing controversy was how to interpret language in the Act that banned long haul-short haul fare discrimination. The [[Mann-Elkins Act]] of 1910 addressed this question by strengthening ICC authority over railroad rates. This amendment also expanded the ICC's jurisdiction to include regulation of [[Telephone company|telephone]], [[Telegraphy|telegraph]] and [[Wireless telegraphy|wireless]] companies.<ref>Mann-Elkins Act of 1910, 61st Congress, ch. 309, 36 Stat. 539, approved 1910-06-18.</ref>

The [[Valuation Act]] of 1913 required the ICC to organize a Bureau of Valuation that would assess the value of railroad property. This information would be used to set rates.<ref>Valuation Act, 62nd Congress, ch. 92, {{USStat|37|701}}, enacted 1913-03-01.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Tells of Valuation Work. Basis for All Future Freight Rates, Says Judge Prouty. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/11/20/100115593.html?pageNumber=15 |date=1914-11-20 |page=15 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> The [[Esch-Cummins Act]] of 1920 expanded the ICC's rate-setting responsibilities, and the agency in turn required updated valuation data from the railroads.<ref>Esch–Cummins Act, Pub.L. 66-152, {{USStat|41|456}}, approved 1920-02-28.</ref> The enlarged process led to a major increase in ICC staff, and the valuations continued for almost 20 years.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gailmard |first1=Sean |last2=Patty |first2=John W. |date=2013 |title=Learning While Governing: Expertise and Accountability in the Executive Branch |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |page=72 |isbn=978-0226924403}}</ref> The valuation process turned out to be of limited use in helping the ICC set rates fairly.<ref name="Martin">{{cite book |last=Martin |first=Albro |date=1992 |title=Railroads Triumphant: The Growth, Rejection & Rebirth of a Vital American Force |location=New York |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/railroadstriumph00mart/page/358 358] |isbn=0-19-503853-3 |quote=Except to take up incredible amounts of space on library shelves, the reports of the valuation agency never served any visible purpose. |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/railroadstriumph00mart/page/358 }}</ref><ref name="Rose">{{cite book |title=The Best Transportation System in the World: Railroads, Trucks, Airlines, and American Public Policy in the Twentieth Century |last1=Rose |first1=Mark H. |last2=Seely |first2=Bruce E. |last3=Barrett |first3=Paul F. |year=2006 |publisher=[[Ohio State University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8142-1036-9 |pages=7–8}}</ref>

In 1934, Congress transferred the telecommunications authority to the new [[Federal Communications Commission]].<ref>[[Communications Act of 1934]], 73rd Congress, ch. 652, Public Law 416, {{USStat|48|1064}}, June 19, 1934. [https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/47/usc_sup_01_47_10_5.html 47 U.S.C. Chapter 5].</ref>

In 1935, Congress passed the Motor Carrier Act, which extended ICC authority to regulate interstate bus lines and trucking as common carriers.<ref>[[Motor Carrier Act of 1935]], {{USStat|49|543}}, ch. 498, approved 1935-08-09.</ref>