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.
Melrose is a hamlet of the Town of Schaghticoke, located about 5 miles North of Troy, and about 6 miles East of Mechanicville. It is about 30 minutes from Albany, 20 minutes from Clifton Park, and 10 minutes from Troy. Centered around State Route 40, it is a small, quiet town.