What is Regulated and What is Not?

In general, the following ARE regulated by the Public Service Commission, some are Investor Owned:

• Electric Power Utilities
• Telecommunication Utilities providing local service
• Natural Gas Utilities
• Water & Sewer Utilities
• Railroads

The following are NOT regulated by the Public Service Commission but may be regulated by federal or local agencies except as noted:

Cable Television, Cell Phone & Pager Services, Satellite Services, Internet Service Providers, DSL - Except Service Quality, Cable and Wireless Internet Connected Services, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), Interstate Long Distance Telephone Carriers - Except Slamming Issues.

Government owned Services are not regulated by the Public Service Commission & May Include:

• Electric Power Utilities
• Natural Gas Utilities
• Water Sewer and Garbage Utilities
• Utopia Broadband Service

Click here to see a list of unregulated municipal energy utilities

Click here to see a list of unregulated municipal utilities (this list is subject to change)

Click here to see a list of federal and local government regulatory agencies.

More specifically, the following applies:

Chapter 2 of Title 54 of the Utah Code defines a public utility to include "every railroad corporation, gas corporation, electrical corporation, distribution electrical cooperative, wholesale electrical cooperative, telephone corporation, telegraph corporation, water corporation, sewerage corporation, heat corporation, and independent energy producer not described . . . where the service is performed for, or the commodity delivered to, the public generally." The term corporation "does not include towns, cities, counties, conservancy districts, improvement districts, or other governmental units created or organized under any general or special law of this state."

The Public Service Commission of Utah has jurisdiction over investor owned and cooperative owned electric utilities, natural gas utilities, telecommunications utilities, water utilities, sewer utilities, and railroads. The Commission has no authority over municipal owned utility systems, service districts, conservancy districts, motor carriers, one-way paging companies, cellular telephone carriers, internet service providers, resold interstate toll service providers or cable TV companies. However, the Commission is responsible for the safety regulation of intrastate natural gas pipelines. This includes pipelines owned by regulated utilities, municipal gas systems, small gas operators (master meter systems), and liquid propane gas systems. The safety regulation of railroads has been delegated to the Utah Department of Transportation. The Commission also has no jurisdiction over the activities of utilities that are regulated by a federal government agency.