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.
Garden Valley is an unincorporated town in Boise County, Idaho, United States. The mountain setting and recreation opportunities attract visitors from the Boise area. The life here in early American history, however, was harsh. Economic opportunity was based on logging, mining, and ranching. In later years there was work here as hunting guides.