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.
Hampton is a town in northeastern Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 871 at the 2000 census. The Town of Hampton is located in the northeast corner of Washington County.