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.
Kerman (formerly, Collis) is a city at the intersection of State Route 180 and State Route 145 in Fresno County, California, USA. The population was 12,191 at the 2006 census. Kerman is located 15 miles (24 km) west of Fresno, at an elevation of 220 feet (67 m).