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.
Mountain is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 133 at the 2000 census. Mountain was founded in 1884. The city is known for being the destination of many Icelandic immigrants, later known as Western Icelanders, who arrived until around 1914. Geir Haarde, the former prime minister of Iceland, traveled to Mountain in August 2007 to attend the Deuce of August celebration, which celebrates Iceland's journey to independence from Denmark. During his visit, town officials told Haarde about a goal to raise $1.3 million dollars for a new community center. The government of Iceland has since donated $75,000 towards the center.