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.
Chamois is a city in Osage County, Missouri, United States. The population was 456 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city was founded in 1856 and is named after Chamonix in France, due to its Alpine scenery. Locally residents pronounce the city's name as 'Sham-OYS.'