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.
Bristol is a town in and the historic county seat of Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,469 at the 2000 census. Bristol, a deepwater seaport, is named after Bristol, England. Prominent ethnic groups include Portuguese-Americans, mostly Azorean, and Italian-Americans. Major industries include boat building (and related marine industries), manufacturing and tourism. The town's school system is united with neighboring Warren, Rhode Island.