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.
Readfield is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,360 at the 2000 census. Readfield is home to the Kents Hill School, a preparatory school, Maranacook Community Schools, public schools for the district, and the annual Kennebec County Fair. The town is a resort area on Maranacook Lake.