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.
Wayland is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,939 at the 2000 census. The city is located at the northwest corner of Wayland Township, but is politically independent. The city has also incorporated a portion of land in the south of adjacent Leighton Township. U.S. Route 131 forms the western boundary of the city. A portion of Gun Lake also resides in Wayland, which is a popular summer time area because of the so called "Party Island" that resides in the very large lake. Al Capone actually owned a house overlooking the vast lake front.