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.
Colgate is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States, straddling the county line with Waukesha County. Colgate is located partially in the village of Richfield, and the town of Lisbon. Zip code of 53017 keeps the unincorporated community alive, with the railroad running through the community being the most prominent feature.