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.
Edelstein is an unincorporated village just off Illinois Route 40 in Peoria County, Illinois, 17.15 miles (27.60 km) north of Peoria City Hall, approximately 7.5 miles (12.1 km) north of the city limits of Peoria, and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) west of Chillicothe, Illinois. Edelstein's main business is a manufacturing company named International Supply Company, which owns several blocks of the village. On Thursday morning, June 25, 2009, the historic Hub Ballroom was destroyed by fire. Built in 1938, this building hosted celebrity appearances by Glenn Miller, Guy Lombardo, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc.