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.
Randolph is a city in Fremont County, Iowa, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace of Virginia Smith, Republican U.S. representative from the 3rd District of Nebraska from 1975 until 1991.