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.
Great Bend is a borough in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, 39 miles north of Scranton. The population was 700 at the 2000 census. Great Bend sits along the Susquehanna River, less than two miles from the New York State border. Located directly off Interstate 81, tourism is a driving force of the area's economy. Several small manufacturers also call Great Bend home. Great Bend is considered a bedroom community of the Binghamton, NY metropolitan area. Downtown Binghamton is roughly 11 miles from Great Bend. The borough provides residents and guests with three public parks. Billy Greenwood Memorial Park on Kilrow Ave. and Veterans' Memorial Park on Spring St. offer stunning views of the Susquehanna River. Children living in Great Bend are served by the Blue Ridge School District.