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.
Pilot Hill (formerly, Centerville, Pilothill, and Pittsfield) is an unincorporated community in El Dorado County, California. It is located 13 miles (21 km) west-northwest of Placerville, at an elevation of 1175 feet (358 m). In 1849, mining commenced at Pilot Hill. Originally, Centerville, Pilot Hill, and Pittsfield were separate nearby mining camps that unified under the name Centerville. The post office came in 1854 and bestowed the name Pilot Hill.