Attitudes toward regulation expose the gulf between the way economists and just about everyone else thinks.

But industry officials said it would be wrong to say that in her tenure at the commission she had leaned toward either regulation or deregulation.

"It is the first step toward Federal regulation on top of the state regulation we already have," he said.

In general, health care, telecommunications and heavy industry stand to benefit from a trend toward less regulation.

But some seem to regret the move toward regulation and the tangle of red tape it can bring.

As Washington has moved toward less regulation in a variety of industries in recent years, some state officials have become more aggressive.

However, in most other respects, such as its favorable view toward lower taxation, free enterprise, smaller government, and less regulation.

"The trend is toward greater regulation," one market analyst said.

His most recent emphasis is on the institutional approach toward competition and regulation, universal service and rural information policy in China.

But there is no move toward regulation; nor, in a free society, should there be.