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.
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located 70 miles north of San Bernardino. Barstow is a major transportation center for the Inland Empire Metropolitan Area. Several major highways including Interstate 15 and Interstate 40 converge in the city. It is the site of a large rail classification yard, belonging to the BNSF Railway. The Union Pacific Railroad also runs through town on trackage rights on BNSF's main line to Daggett 10 miles (16 km) east, where it heads to Salt Lake City, then the BNSF heads to Chicago. Barstow is home to Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow and is the closest city to Fort Irwin Military Reservation.