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.
Fallon is a city in Churchill County, located in western Nevada, United States. The population was 7,536 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Churchill County and is located in the Lahontan Valley. Fallon is primarily an agricultural community. Although the area is arid, approximately 50,000 acres (200 km²) of farmland are irrigated with water supplied by the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District. The principal crop is alfalfa. Fallon Heart O' Gold cantaloupes were once distributed throughout the nation, but are now mostly grown for local consumption. Naval Air Station Fallon also provides a significant employment. Fallon has been known as the "Oasis of Nevada. " U.S. Route 50 is the main road through town. Fallon is one of the westernmost cities on the Loneliest Road in America, the stretch of Route 50 through Nevada famed for its remoteness. Eastbound travelers must go 110 miles to find the next town, Austin, Nevada. The state bird is the Mountain Bluebird and the state plant is the Sagebrush.