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.
Dover Plains is a hamlet in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 1,996 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. Dover Plains is in the northeast part of the Town of Dover on NY 22. Metro-North Railroad has a Harlem Line station here, bringing commuters to New York City. This station was the line's northern terminus for many years, until the line was expanded four miles north to Wassaic in the early 2000s. John Hall (NY-D), is a Congressman representing the 19th District; his residence is in Dover Plains, NY.