Is this still as important?

"... Please, stop using Medicare and return your Social Security checks. Oh, and when you were unemployed that one time, return that money also..."

Medicare, Social Security, and unemployment insurance are not gifts from the government. We paid for those "benefits" by payroll deduction. So far, I payed in far more than I collected. And to get back on track, We don't need government or laws for everything we do. 

A regulation of measured numbers to uniformize standards is NOT a political intervention of the government at all...

It is a way to protect consumers and designers....

What russ69 said, plus ONE.

Reality?
Bizarro.

Is this still as important?

It's very simple

We need independent tested specs, to keep all manufacturers honest about their published specs.

Cheers George