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.
Gobles is a city in Van Buren County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 815. It was originally called Gobleville, named after its founder Hiram Goble. The popular Kal-Haven Trail, which runs from Kalamazoo to South Haven, goes through the city's business district. It is also home to Timber Ridge Ski Area.