Electronic commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services, and the transfer of funds, through digital communications by businesses and consumers over the Internet. The exchange of standardized document forms between computer systems for business use. EDI is part of electronic commerce. EPAct also authorized FERC to order utilities to provide access to their transmission lines to other utilities, non-utility producers, and other participants in the wholesale electricity market. An independent agency of the Department of Energy, FERC is composed of five members appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.
Commissioners serve five-year staggered terms, and each has an equal vote on all regulatory matters.
IPPs sell the power they generate in the wholesale market, typically to electric utilities. The ISO assumes operational control of the use of transmission facilities, administrators a system wide transmission tariff applicable to all market participants, and maintains short term system reliability. Linux - The free Unix workalike created by Linus Torvalds and others starting around 1991. These rates can be established through competitive bidding or through negotiations between the buyer and seller, rather than set by a regulator. As portions of the electric industry become less regulated, market prices are increasingly important for making business decisions.