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.
Gulf is an unincorporated community in southwestern Chatham County, North Carolina, United States, south of the town of Goldston. It is located on the Deep River. The community is home to a general store and several historical homes. It received its name from its location, at a wide bend in the Deep River. Gulf is the geographical center of North Carolina.