FTC may end amplifier rule! ACTION NEEDED

@jwl244  - The responses you are getting are related to people's skepticism that the government can effectively communicate, monitor, or enforce something like how power output is reported by manufacturers.
While I generally don't trust the government to be effective, I am old enough to remember how things were prior to the regulation and how much BS there was between manufacturer's claims and what you would hear from audio salesmen.
Fast forward to today, and I believe that regulation or not, it would be harder for a manufacturer to bamboozle buyers for any length of time because of the information available from reviewers and owners on the internet. 

It seems like a legitimate concern.

Is there such a rule for speakers? Sensitivities/efficiencies are rumored to be inaccurate with some manufacturers who inflate those number in their promotional material.

@mitch2 yes that us exactly the concern that if the regulations did actually do what they were intended to do, ie hold companies accountable for publishing more accurate specs... then removing the amplifier rule would allow those faulty claims to return. Some audiophiles will argue that specs aren't that important but this is audiogon. Specs are what everyone talks about. I think perhaps the audiophiles here may also have the mentality that they are experienced and already know what companies are good or bad? If one ascribes to this then it completely leaves out the beginners or even intermediate level listeners.

@glupson I honestly do not know the answer to that question but I do think it's equally important. 

"...Or conversely, the positives if the rule was terminated?..."

Well the manufacturers do the testing and make their power claims. The FTC only has the ability to enforce the rule but not sure they ever have used this particular rule. Responsible manufactures do the testing per the FTC rules and that costs time and money for very dubious results. Even with the current rule I've had 100 watt amps that seem weak and 25 watt amps that had plenty of power. It is a useless specification that is no help to the consumer.    

@russ69 thank you I appreciate your response. I domt disagree with you. I do think it matters more in the realm of home theater than it does in 2 channel stereo. In 2 channel the reputable players are all fairly reliable. In multichannel home theater however it is a different story. I had a denon x6500h for example that is rated 140 wpc 2 channels driven. Gene tested it with 7 channels driven and the wattage was only 64 wpc or so. I have a 25 wpc naim atom that drives my martin logan speakers just fine. That 25 wpc does not reflect its abilities.