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.
Oldsmar is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,910 at the 2000 census. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population to be 13,401 as of 2008. Oldsmar's history dates to 1913 when automobile pioneer Ransom E. Olds purchased 37,541 acres (152 km²) of land by the northern part of Tampa Bay to establish “R. E. Olds-on-the-Bay”. The name was later changed to Oldsmar, then to “Tampa Shores” in 1927, and finally back to Oldsmar in 1937. Ransom Eli Olds named some of the original streets himself, such as Gim Gong Road. In recent years, Oldsmar has experienced a sudden drop in population, but still, a new downtown is being developed which its promoters hope will bring back the "old Florida" feel to the city. Oldsmar celebrates its history every year with Oldsmar Days and Nights, where residents and visitors take part in parades, car shows and carnival rides. Notable Oldsmar businesses include the nearby Tampa Bay Downs, the production headquarters of Nielsen Media Research, and Children's Charity Kids Wish Network.