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.
Dundas is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 547 at the 2000 census, although July 1, 2008 census estimates suggested that the city had a population of 1,080, almost doubling the size of the city. The community was named for Dundas, Ontario, Canada. The Archibald Mill, the ruins of a flour mill can still be seen today on the west bank of the Cannon River. The milling industry contributed greatly to Dundas' 19th-century success. Today, the town is chiefly a bedroom community for nearby Northfield and the more distant Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The juxtaposition of Dundas and Northfield and their disparate zoning policies and attitudes toward development have led to some unusual growth patterns. Dundas is home to a number of businesses, such as an off-sale liquor store and two bars that would be unable to get licenses to operate in Northfield. Another attraction is the recently opened bistro, Fermentations