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.
Burlington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Situated at the foot of the Berkshires and bordering the Farmington River, Burlington is a scenic hill town, rural in nature, located 20 miles (32 km) west of Hartford. Incorporated in 1806, the population was 8,190 at the 2000 census. Burlington is home to the State of Connecticut Fish Hatchery and the Nepaug Reservoir. Almost 50% of the land in the town is owned by three public water supply companies and the State of Connecticut.