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.
Alexandria is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Minnesota, United States. First settled in 1858, it was named after Alexander and William Kinkead. The 2008 estimated population of Alexandria was 12,415. Alexandria is located near Interstate 94 (concurrent with U.S. Route 52 in this part of the state), along Minnesota State Highways 27 and 29. Lake Carlos State Park is ten miles north of Alexandria.