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.
Garwood is a borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 4,153. Garwood was incorporated as a borough on March 19, 1903, from portions of Cranford Township and Westfield Town. In the north side of Garwood, most of the streets are numbered, while in the south side of Garwood most of the streets are named after trees.