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.
Hayward is a town in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,279 at the 2000 census. The town is located near the City of Hayward. U.S. Highway 63, Wisconsin Highway 27, and Wisconsin Highway 77 are three of the main arterial routes in the community.