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.
Nelliston is a village in Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 622 at the 2000 census. The name is from members of the Nellis family. The Village of Nelliston is in the Town of Palatine and is west of Amsterdam. The Erie Canal passes the village.