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.
Jasper is a city in Pipestone and Rock counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 597 at the 2000 census. Most of the city lies in Pipestone County, with only a small part of the city extending into Rock County. Jasper is named for a type of quartz rock found nearby.