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.
Cresson is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, 75 miles (121 km) east of Pittsburgh. Cresson is an elevated place known for its beauty. Mineral springs add to its attractions. It is above 2,000 feet (610 m) in elevation. Lumber, coal, and coke yards were industries that had supported the population which numbered 1,470 in 1910. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population at the 2000 census was 1,631. The location was named Cresson in 1854, as a memorial to philanthropist Elliott Cresson. Railroads, specifically the Allegheny Portage Railroad, fueled the growth of the area. Many famous businessmen from Pittsburgh maintained summer residences in the area.