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.
Mattapoisett is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,463 at the 2008 census. For geographic and demographic information on the village of Mattapoisett Center, please see the article Mattapoisett Center, Massachusetts.