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.
Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County, Ohio, United States. Located near the center of Ohio, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Columbus, Delaware was founded in 1808 and incorporated in 1816. It is part of the Columbus Metropolitan Area. The population was 25,246 at the 2000 census. According to the US Census 2008 estimate, Delaware has a population of 33,719, while the Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH Combined Statistical Area has 2,002,604 people.