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.
Great Bend is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. The population was 15,345 at the 2000 census, and it was estimated to be 15,537 in the year 2006. The city was named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River. Great Bend is home to Barton Community College.