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.
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. With a population of 27,509 at the 2000 census, Bozeman is the fifth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists of all of Gallatin County. The city is named after John M. Bozeman, founder of the Bozeman Trail. Located in the fastest-growing county in the state, Bozeman was elected an All-America City in 2001 by the National Civic League. Bozeman residents are known as Bozemanites. Bozeman is home to Montana State University - Bozeman. The local newspaper is the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, and the city is served by Gallatin Field Airport.