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.
Houlton is an unincorporated community located in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. Houlton is located across the St. Croix River from Stillwater, Minnesota, in the town of St. Joseph. Houlton has a post office with ZIP code 54082.