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.
Windom is a city in Cottonwood County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,490 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cottonwood County. Windom has been assigned ZIP code 56101 by the USPS. Although it is a small, rural farming community, Windom is host to several parks including a newly installed disc golf course at Mayflower Park. The Des Moines River flows through Windom, and serves as a gentle, rapid-free canoeing spot. Windom is the birthplace of composer Maria Schneider, game show announcer Johnny Olson, and professional football player Larry Buhler. While Windom is known to be quite wild, common consensus agrees the next town is Wilder.