Apublic utilities commission is aquasi-governmental body that provides oversight and/or regulation ofpublic utilities in a particular area (locality, municipality, orsubnational division), especially in theUnited States andCanada.
The utilities in question may be owned by the consumers that it serves, a mutual utility like apublic utility district, astate-owned utility, or it may be astockholder-owned utility either publicly traded on a stock exchange or closely held among just a few investors. These utilities often operate aslegal monopolies, which means that they do not compete in a marketplace but are instead regulated by commissions to ensure fair pricing.
In Canada, apublic utilities commission (PUC) is apublic utility regulator, typically asemi-independentquasi-judicial tribunal, owned and operated within a municipal or local government system under the oversight of one or more elected commissioners.[1] Its role is analogous to amunicipal utility district orpublic utility district in the US.
Below are the PUCs in Canada:
Former commissions in Ontario include:
In the United States, apublic utilities commission (PUC), which may also be named apublic service commission (PSC),corporation commission, or similar, is a governing body that regulates the rates and services of apublic utility, such as anelectric utility. In some cases, government bodies with the title "public service commission" may becivil service oversight bodies, rather than utilities regulators.
TheNational Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners[9] is the national association representing the interests of the public utilities commissions in all 50 states. TheInterstate Commerce Commission andFederal Communications Commission perform similar functions in their respective fields in the United States.
The first state utility regulator was thePublic Service Commission of Wisconsin, founded in 1907 under GovernorRobert M. La Follette to set minimum standards and regulate rates of monopoly utilities.[10]
| Jurisdiction | Organization | Members | Selection of commissioners |
|---|---|---|---|
 San Francisco | San Francisco Public Utilities Commission[65] | 3 | Nominated by theMayor and confirmed by theSF Board of Supervisors |
 |
