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.
Waconia is a city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,814 at the 2000 census. Located about 25 miles west of Minneapolis, Waconia has seen a surge in suburban development recently. The Carver County Fair is held in Waconia.