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.
Oxford is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,821 at the 2000 Census. There are several areas in Oxford: Quaker Farms, Riverside and Oxford Center. Oxford belongs to the Naugatuck Valley Economic Development Region and the Central Naugatuck Valley Planning Area. Oxford used to be a very rural town with a moderate farming population. However, a University of Connecticut development study spanning 1985-2006 showed Oxford had the largest increase of development by percentage, growing 62% during that time. The Central Naugatuck Valley Office of the Council of Governments' spokesperson stated upon learning of the development study expressed concern that heavy development could result in flooding. The town had 47 working farms as of 2007. Out of all the 269 ZIP codes in Connecticut, the one for Oxford ranked 27th largest in terms of the number of working farms.