Public utilities provide electric, gas, water or telephone service to customers in a specified area. Utilities have a duty to provide safe and adequate service on reasonable terms to anyone who lives within the service area on without discriminating between customers. Because most utilities operate in near monopolistic conditions, they can be heavily regulated by local, state, and federal authorities. Generally, the local and state agencies are called Public Service Commissions (PSC) or Public Utility Commissions (PUC). Municipal Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives may be unregulated though.
Tontitown is a city in Washington County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 942 at the 2000 census. Tontitown is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Tontitown was founded in the late 1800s, mostly by Italian settlers. Since 1898, Tontitown has held an annual grape festival in mid-August, which celebrates the harvest and the town's Italian American heritage. The festival features a carnival, a craft fair and a homemade spaghetti dinner served to thousands.