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.
Williston is an unincorporated town in northern Allen Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States, located along State Route 579. It is located in the northwestern part of the state, near Toledo. Its ZIP code is 43468. Its population was 211 people, according to the 2000 Census. The town received regional attention with the arraignment of a local bank robbery suspect, accused of robbing the Genoa Banking Company's Williston branch, in federal court.