Public utilities provide electric, gas, water or telephone service to customers in a specified area. Utilities have a duty to provide safe and adequate service on reasonable terms to anyone who lives within the service area on without discriminating between customers. Because most utilities operate in near monopolistic conditions, they can be heavily regulated by local, state, and federal authorities. Generally, the local and state agencies are called Public Service Commissions (PSC) or Public Utility Commissions (PUC). Municipal Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives may be unregulated though.
Allgood is a town in Blount County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 629. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the town had a population of 693. The mayor of Allgood, Alabama, is Nell Payne. The "Welcome to Allgood" sign on the outskirts of the town has an upside-down 'G'. This error has since been corrected by the mayor.