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.
Cattaraugus is a village in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 1,075 at the 2000 census. The name is a native expression for "land of last chimney standing. " The Village of Cattaraugus lies in the northeast part of the Town of New Albion, north of Salamanca, New York.