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.
Montpelier is an unincorporated community in eastern Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. Located along Iowa Highway 22, it lies on the Mississippi River above the city of Muscatine, the county seat of Muscatine County. Its elevation is 568 feet (173 m), and it is located at 41°27′33″N 90°48′26″W / 41.45917°N 90.80722°W / 41.45917; -90.80722 (41.4591974, -90.8070883). Montpelier's post office was first established under the name of Iowa on 1836-04-19, changed to Montpelier on 1839-04-01, and discontinued on 1846-02-11. Although it was reestablished on 1882-02-28, it was finally discontinued on 1986-02-18, when it was attached to the Blue Grass post office. Although its post office is gone, Montpelier retains its own ZIP Code, 52759. The community is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area.