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.
Frenchglen is an unincorporated community in Harney County, Oregon, United States. It is 60 miles (97 km) south of Burns on Oregon Route 205. Its population is approximately 12. The community is named after the French-Glenn Livestock Company, founded by Dr. Hugh J. Glenn and later joined by his son-in-law, Peter French. The French-Glenn built its headquarters there in 1872. Frenchglen is near Steens Mountain and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, and is home to the historic Frenchglen Hotel. The town has a K-8 school divided into two classes. The area is known as a haven for birdwatching.