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.
Washington is a city in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 12,946 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Beaufort County. The closest major city is Greenville, approximately 20 miles to the west. Established in 1776 in land donated by Col. James Bonner, Washington is the first city named after George Washington, the first president of the United States.