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.
Fletcher is a town in Henderson and Buncombe Counties, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,185 at the 2000 census. Fletcher is home to Asheville Regional Airport, which serves Asheville and Western North Carolina. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.