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.
Southmont is an unincorporated community in Davidson County, North Carolina. It is located along North Carolina State Highway 8 on the northern shores of High Rock Lake. There is an organized effort underway to Incorporate Southmont as The Village of Southmont.