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.
Big Bear Lake is a city in San Bernardino County, California along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, located 25 miles (40 km) northeast of the city of San Bernardino. The population was 5,438 at the 2000 census. Surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest, Big Bear Lake is a year-around resort destination for Southern California.