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.
Deer River is a city in Itasca County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 903 at the 2000 census. U.S. Route 2 and Minnesota State Highways 6 and 46 are three of the main routes in the community. Deer River is home to the world's largest Wild Rice Festival. Possibly its greatest attribute is its proximity to several beautiful lakes, including Deer Lake, Bowstring Lake, Leech Lake, and Lake Winnibigoshish.