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.
Viola is an unincorporated community in eastern Linn County, Iowa, United States. It lies along local roads northeast of the city of Cedar Rapids, the county seat of Linn County. Its elevation is 978 feet (298 m), and it is located at 42°5′27″N 91°26′16″W / 42.09083°N 91.43778°W / 42.09083; -91.43778 (42.0908332, -91.4376685). Although Viola is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 52350, which opened on 7 October 1861.