Believe it or not, telephone companies were once regarded as utilities. This was before they became indistinguishable from America Online. The same chaos is about to break out in the electricity and natural gas sectors. And heating oil? Well, that's a last bastion of mom-and-pop small businesses, many of them modeled on Bonny and Clyde.

Utilities
Allegheny Energy Ambit American Electric Power Arizona Public Service Bay State Gas CenterPoint Energy, Houston Con Ed, New York Consumers Energy, Michigan Consumers Power, Oregon Dominion Resources DPI Energy DTE Energy Duke Energy Ferrellgas Florida Power Company Gainesville Regional Utilities, Gainesville, FL GPU Electric Company, Hightstown, NJ Hilco Electric Co-Op, Itasca, TX Homeland Park Water, Anderson, SC Laclede Gas Co., St. Louis Lakeland Electric, Florida Long Beach Water, California Los Angeles Department of Water & Power Massachusetts Electric National Grid Navapache Electric Nicor Northern Illinois Gas	Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative New York City Water Dept. Peace River Electric Peoples Gas, Chicago Pepco Pine Valley Mutual Water Company, Pine Valley, CA Progress Energy Carolinas Progress Energy Florida PSE&G, New Jersey Reliant Energy Santana Energy Santee Electric Cooperative SEMCO Energy Simple Power, Houston Southern California Gas Southern California Edison Southwestern Electric Spark Energy Gas and Electricity Suncoast Energy, Orlando The Illuminating Company, Akron, OH TXU Energy U.S. Energy Savings Virginia Natural Gas Washington Gas Xcel Energy
Oil & Gas Dealers
Airgas Southwest All Service Propane, Anderson, CA Arlington Energy Bogus Oil, Elizabeth, NJ Columbia Gas of Virginia H. John Davis Fuel, Mount Pocono, PA Hart Petroleum North Pole Fuel Oil	Petro Oil Proflame Propane, Lancaster, CA Putnam Valley Petroleum Pyrofax Energy Ramos Fuel S&S Fuel Co. State Utilities, Lindenhurst, NY Windsor Fuel Oil Zia Natural Gas, Hobbs, NM
Toll Roads, Transit Agencies
EZ Pass	Sunpass Prepaid Toll, Boca Raton, FL

There are those, like Anita in St. Louis, who think that deregulation will be beneficial for consumers. Maybe, but it depends on which consumers you're talking about -- big ones or little ones. Large users of gas, electricity and so forth will be able to buy in bulk and realize big savings. Small users? Think they'll have a lot of bargaining power?

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