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.
Dale, Illinois is a populated place which is located in Hamilton County, Illinois, United States. The elevation of this place is 400 feet. The community is on the New Madrid Seismic Zone. The biggest earthquake in Illinois history was a 5.4 quake (although reported as a 5.5 at the time) on November 9, 1968 near the community. The quake damaged the civic building at Henderson, Kentucky and was felt in 23 states. People in Boston said their building swayed.