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.
Stanford is a city in Lincoln County, Kentucky, United States. It is the one of the oldest settlements in Kentucky, having been founded in 1775. Its population was 3,430 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County. Stanford is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area.