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.
Ahmeek is a village in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 157. The village is in Allouez Township. The name Ahmeek is derived from the Ojibwa (Chippawa) language. In Ojibway, amik means beaver. Ahmeek is the only incorporated municipality in Keweenaw County.