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.
Adel is a city along the North Raccoon River in Dallas County in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 3,435 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dallas County and the birthplace of 1939 Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick. Adel is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.