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.
Kalispell is a city in and the county seat of Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 14,223 at the 2000 census. Kalispell is the largest city and commercial center of Northwest Montana. The name Kalispell is a Salish word meaning "flat land above the lake. " Kalispell is the nearest population center to Glacier National Park.