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.
Parlier is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 11,145. The city has one of the state's highest percentage of Latinos, a large majority of them are seasonal migrant laborers who arrive and temporarily work in the area's agricultural sector. Parlier is located 5.5 miles (9 km) east-southeast of Selma, at an elevation of 344 feet (105 m).