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.
Colden is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 3,323 at the 2000 census. The town derives its name from Caldwalder D. Colden, a state senator. The Town of Colden is an interior town in the south part of the county. It is one of the "Southtowns" of Erie County.