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.
Oakland is a city in Warren County, Kentucky, USA. The population was 260 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1859, the city was named for its many oak trees by pioneer William Radford. Oakland was also the original name of Sharpe, Kentucky which had its name changed according to postal regulations.