The Federal Maritime Commission, or FMC, is currently making a formal investigation into exclusive tug franchise arrangements in ports in Florida and the lower Mississippi River area. The issue is whether these licenses, with which marine terminal operators grant exclusive towing licenses to certain tug companies, are unreasonably anticompetitive and violate the Shipping Act of 1984. The FMC initially began an inquiry into supposed exclusive franchise agreements involving some tug operators and dry bulk terminals on the lower Mississippi River, but this investigation soon lead to inquiries into the practices of two Florida Ports, Port Canaveral and Port Everglades.