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.
Raymond is a city in Rice County, Kansas, United States. The population was 95 at the 2000 census. Raymond was named after railroad official Emmus Raymond . It was founded in 1871, making it the oldest town in Rice County. At one point in its history Raymond was known as a wild "cowtown" and was a stop on the Santa Fe Railroad, but the town has been in decline since the 1950s.