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.
Winterthur (also Winterthrup) is an unincorporated community in northern New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It lies at the intersection of Delaware Routes 92 and 100, north of the city of Wilmington, the county seat of New Castle County. Its elevation is 269 feet (82 m), and it is located at 39°48′10″N 75°35′30″W / 39.80278°N 75.59167°W / 39.80278; -75.59167 (39.8028897, -75.5915934). Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 19735. The community takes its name from the Winterthur Museum and Country Estate.