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.
Marcell is an unincorporated community in Marcell Township, Itasca County, Minnesota, United States. Despite its unincorporated status, it appears on most more detailed maps of Minnesota due to the presence of several locally important businesses and the lack of larger towns in the surrounding area. Marcell is located within the Chippewa National Forest. Minnesota State Highways 38 and 286 are two of the main routes in the community. Nearby places include Bigfork, Talmoon, Bowstring, and Deer River.