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.
Hortense is an unincorporated community in Brantley County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Brunswick, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its ZIP code is 31543. Hortense lies at an elevation of 56 feet (17 m).