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.
Anderson (pop. 11,000) is a city in Shasta County, California, USA, approximately 10 miles south of Redding. The population was 9,022 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population is 10,580. The city was named after ranch owner Elias Anderson who granted the Oregon and California Railroad trackage rights and land for a station.