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.
Mize is a town in Smith County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 285 at the 2000 census. The town hosts The Mize Watermelon Festival every July. The town used to be known as the capitol of Sullivan's Hollow. It has long had a colorful history known for feuds and lawlessness. On April 6, 2005, an F-3 tornado struck Mize High School, a pillar of the Mize community. The school's second floor was ripped off by sheer force of wind and the entire structure was severely damaged. Re-construction efforts were completed in 2007 under the supervision of school principal David Burris.