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.
Blacklick is a small unincorporated community in southern Jefferson Township, Franklin County, Ohio, United States. Blacklick is also included in the Columbus Metropolitan area. The tiny community began as a railroad station and is situated at the intersection of the railroad and High Street (known outside the Village as Reynoldsburg New Albany Rd. ) just north of Broad Street in eastern Franklin County. Blacklick Creek gently flows through Blacklick and serves as the community's namesake. The Blacklick Post Office (zip code 43004) used to be within the community but has moved just south of the community on Reynoldsburg-New Albany Road. Blacklick is the site of Jefferson Cemetery, an active cemetery operated by Jefferson Township. The community has no school district, but it is split into three school districts, Columbus City Schools in Columbus, Ohio, Gahanna Jefferson City Schools in Gahanna, Ohio, and Licking Heights Local School District in Pataskala, Ohio.