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.
Franconia is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 924 at the 2000 census. Set in the White Mountains, Franconia is home to Franconia Notch State Park. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the east and south. The Appalachian Trail crosses the southern part.