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.
Hanson is a city in Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 625 at the 2000 census. It is named for Henry B. Hanson, a civil engineer and surveyor who plotted the town for the Henderson and Nashville Railroad. CSX Transportation runs through Hanson and operates a siding track there named after the town. The companies that supply power to Hanson residents are Kentucky Utilities and Kenergy. The Hanson Historic District is located in the city.