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.
Fayetteville (formerly Washington) is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Arkansas, United States, and is home to the University of Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,047. The Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area's population is estimated at 420,876. It is the third most populous city in Arkansas. Fayetteville is known as the "Track Capital of the World" for being the home of the University of Arkansas' track and field program, which has won 42 national championships to date. It was also ranked 8th on Forbes Magazine's Top 10 Best Places in America for Business and Careers. Kiplinger's 2008 "Best Cities to Work, Live and Play" list featured Fayetteville as #7.