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.
Macomb is a city located in McDonough County, Illinois founded in 1830. It is situated in western Illinois southwest of Galesburg at 40°27'38" North, 90°40'27" West (40.460501, -90.674048). As of 2000, the city had a population of 21,659. It is the county seat of McDonough County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.2 square miles, of which, 9.9 square miles (25.5 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it is water. The total area is 3.90% water; the East Fork La Moine River flows past the northern part of the city. Macomb is the home of Western Illinois University.