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.
North Chelmsford is an unincorporated village in the town of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, United States. Although North Chelmsford has its own zip code, library, post office, police station, fire station, and local calling area, it is run by the same local town government and is part of the same school district as Chelmsford. North Chelmsford is more industrial, more densely populated, and generally less affluent than the rest of Chelmsford. North Chelmsford's separate identity and the town government's perceived bias one way or the other is a political issue - the Lowell Sun ran an article on August 7, 2005 describing the situation as "Chelmsford's Civil War Still Raging On. " Bumper stickers such as "I'm from North Chelmsford - Don't Tread On Me" can be seen around town. When it comes to Chelmsford's rivalry with neighboring Billerica though, Chelmsford and North Chelmsford stand firmly united.