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.
Safford is a city in Graham County, Arizona, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 8,932. The city is the county seat of Graham County. Safford is the principal city of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Graham and Greenlee counties.