{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.public-utility","code":"thing-q1951366","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1951366/","name":"public utility","alternateNames":["municipal utility district","transmission owner","electricity supply company","natural gas utility","Investor-owned utility","GEB","Stadtwerk","water utility","Drainage Bureau","general transmission and distribution business operator","Autonomous gas supply","Gaborone Water Utilities"],"kind":"thing","status":"research-draft","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Society, people and institutions","entryKind":"thing","plane":"SOC","domain":["SOC.ORG"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"An organisation that maintains infrastructure for a public service such as electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater or telecommunications, often a natural monopoly regulated by public utility commissions or equivalent regulators, organised as investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities and municipal utility districts, cooperatives or state enterprises, with roles such as electricity supply company and transmission owner, and examples such as Grupo Energia Bogota, abbreviated GEB; gas leaks and downed power lines are emergencies to report to the utility or emergency services.","purpose":"Let an agent explain public utilities, relay ownership models, regulation, rate setting and roles from regulatory and energy sources, describe the kinds and examples the registry aliases name, route gas leaks and downed lines to emergency services, and distinguish utilities from unregulated energy retailers, public services generally and infrastructure assets.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Essential service","Network infrastructure","Rate regulation","Varied ownership"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a public utility is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a public utility, and how does it differ from retailers, public services and infrastructure assets?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is there a gas smell or a downed power line, in which case leave the area and call the utility emergency line or emergency services?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"kinds","name":"Kinds","description":"Named kinds.","findings":[{"id":"kinds-finding","name":"Kinds","description":"Kinds.","questions":[{"text":"What are municipal utility districts, transmission owners, supply companies, gas utilities, investor-owned utilities and GEB?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific kind or company?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"regulation","name":"Regulation","description":"Regulation.","layers":[{"id":"rates","name":"Rates","description":"Rate setting.","findings":[{"id":"rates-finding","name":"Rates","description":"Rates.","questions":[{"text":"How do regulators set utility rates and service standards?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"markets","name":"Markets","description":"Liberalisation.","findings":[{"id":"markets-finding","name":"Markets","description":"Markets.","questions":[{"text":"How have unbundling and privatisation changed utilities, with debates attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"operations","name":"Operations","description":"Operations.","layers":[{"id":"grid","name":"Grid","description":"Networks.","findings":[{"id":"grid-finding","name":"Grid","description":"Grid.","questions":[{"text":"How do utilities run transmission and distribution networks?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits electric power transmission?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"resilience","name":"Resilience","description":"Outages and resilience.","findings":[{"id":"resilience-finding","name":"Resilience","description":"Resilience.","questions":[{"text":"How do utilities prepare for storms, wildfires and outages?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits power outage?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"History and customers.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did utilities and their regulation develop?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits natural monopoly?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"customers","name":"Customers","description":"Customer help.","findings":[{"id":"customers-finding","name":"Customers","description":"Customers.","questions":[{"text":"What assistance programmes exist for customers struggling with bills?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits energy poverty?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["explain ownership and regulation","relay rate setting and roles","describe named kinds","route utility emergencies"],"mustNot":["Competitive retailers may not own networks; public services include non-infrastructure services; infrastructure is the assets"],"requiresHuman":[]},"ethics":{"considerations":[],"affectedParties":[]},"owners":{"steward":"","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q4830453","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"business","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"public utilities commission","type":"related"},{"target":"electrical grid","type":"related","note":"among other networks"},{"target":"energy retailer","type":"related"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.public-utility","Wikidata: Q1951366 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1951366)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["typical sectors: electricity, gas, water, telecom list","US regulator: state public utility commissions and FERC note","natural monopoly: common economic rationale note"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Regulated provider of essential infrastructure services","Municipal utility district, transmission owner, electricity supply company, natural gas utility, investor-owned utility, GEB","Competitive retailers may not own networks; public services include non-infrastructure services; infrastructure is the assets","Not a visible object; seen through power lines, pipes, plants and offices."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain ownership and regulation","relay rate setting and roles","describe named kinds","route utility emergencies"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Gas leaks and downed lines, which are emergencies","Outages and service failures","Partisan framing of privatisation debates"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Public utility regulation and rate cases","Safety codes for gas and electricity","Unbundling rules in liberalised markets"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Providing essential infrastructure services.","investor-owned utilities","municipal utilities and districts","cooperatives","transmission and distribution companies","gas and water utilities","state-owned utility groups"]}},"sources":[],"openQuestions":["Should investor-owned utility be a separate entry?","How should regulatory sources be linked?","The registry alias GEB names a specific company and should be split off"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q1951366/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q1951366/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T19:38:08Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"derived","ethics":"missing","owners":"missing","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"missing"},"notes":{"agentConduct":"Affordances listed as what may be done; prohibitions collected from the text.","interaction.properties":"Plane SOC: no invented physical properties.","sources":"Written from model knowledge without web access; claims are unverified."},"score":0.781}}