In all countries, transport, communications, electricity production and supply and other public utilities are subject to varying degrees of government regulation. In the case of natural monopolies, the government often forms commissions to regulate prices and set standards for the services provided.  At the local government level, state ownership of electricity and water utilities is quite common. In Russia, the influence of natural monopolists has reached unprecedented proportions. There is still no unified approach to regulating these influential giants. One thing is clear: without a comprehensive analysis of possible solutions to the problem, they cannot be overcome.