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.
Belgrade is an unincorporated community in south central Washington County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Missouri Supplemental Route C about six miles west of Caledonia and ten miles south of Potosi. The community was founded in 1876 and was named after Belgrade in Serbia. Belgrade is a major traffic area for tourism and industry, Belgrade is in the Saint Louis Metro Area, and is near the Route 21 corridor. Belgrade is one of the fastest growing rural communities in Washington County.