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.
Lambertville is an unincorporated community in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the name of the area serve by the Lambertville Post Office. The Lambertville ZIP code, 48144, serves the southwest part of Bedford Township, as well as portions of adjacent Whiteford Township. For statistical purposes, Lambertville is also a census-designated place (CDP). The CDP is entirely within Bedford Township and the population of the CDP was 9,299 at the 2000 census. The Lambertville post office opened as "West Erie" on June 13, 1834. The name changed to Lambertville on January 15, 1836. It was discontinued on March 23, 1865 and reestablished on December 4, 1865.