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.
Overland Park is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, it has traditionally been considered a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is located adjacent to Olathe, Lenexa, Prairie Village and Leawood. The population was 149,080 at the 2000 census and was estimated at 171,231 in the 2008 census data. Overland Park has consistently ranked in the top 10 of CNN/Money and Money magazine's 100 Best Cities to Live in the United States. In the 2008 rankings, Overland Park placed 9th. Additionally, the city was ranked as one of "The Best Places to Raise Your Kids in 2009" and was ranked 3rd for "America's 10 Best Places to Grow Up" . It is also the setting for the Showtime series The United States of Tara.