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.
Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Sandusky County, Ohio, United States. The population was 17,375 at the 2000 census. Former president Rutherford B. Hayes lived in the city for a period of time and dedicated a library to the town. The National Arbor Day Foundation designated Fremont as a Tree City USA.