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.
Plymouth is an incorporated borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, 4 miles (6 km) west of Wilkes Barre, on the Susquehanna River. It was established in 1769 by the Susquehanna Company and was claimed by Connecticut based on the charter of that colony. The Pennamite-Yankee War was fought in the environs. It is situated in the rich hard coal fields of the State. Coal was first shipped in 1807. In the past, the chief products of its industrial establishments included mining drilling machines, miners' squibs, silk hosiery, and lumber products. In 1900, Plymouth's population was 13,649. In 1910, 16,996 lived here; in 1920, 16,500; and in 1940, 15,507. The population was 6,507 at the 2000 census.