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.
Bottineau is a city in Bottineau County, North Dakota in the United States. It is the county seat of Bottineau County and is located just over ten miles south of the Canada–United States border. The city's population was 2,336 at the 2000 census. The city is home to Dakota College at Bottineau. Attractions in Bottineau include the Bottineau Winter Park and "Tommy Turtle", the world's largest turtle, which has become a landmark for the city. Built in 1978 and standing 30 feet tall, the fiberglass turtle is located in the eastern half of the city and supposedly was built as a symbol for the nearby Turtle Mountains. Bottineau is also home to Programmer's Broadcasting, which owns and operates KBTO, along with KTZU and KWGO in Minot.