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.
Apache Junction is a city in Maricopa and Pinal counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. According to 2008 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 32,776, most of whom lived in Pinal County. Apache Junction is named for the junction of the Apache Trail and U.S. Highway 60. Superstition Mountain, the westernmost peak of the Superstition Mountains, is nearby.