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.
College Place is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, United States next to Walla Walla, Washington. The population was 7,818 at the time of the 2000 census. College Place is the home of Walla Walla University, a Seventh-day Adventist college. Because of the primary Adventist population, most downtown businesses close on Saturday, reopening in most cases on Sunday. College Avenue is the main Street running North to South from Highway 12 to the Milton-Freewater Highway.