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.
Vermilion is a city in Erie and Lorain counties in Ohio, U.S. The population was 10,927 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Eileen Bulan. The Lorain County portion of Vermilion is part of the Cleveland–Elyria–Mentor Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Erie County portion is part of the Sandusky Metropolitan Statistical Area. The nickname of Vermilion High School sports teams is the "Sailors", and many prominent sailboat racers of the Great Lakes have lived here. The area is noted for its many orchards, wineries, and roadside fruit and vegetable stands.