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.
Granville is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, Tennessee, United States. Granville was the birthplace of U.S. Senator Albert Gore, Sr. , father of former Vice-President Al Gore. A museum of local history, the Granville Museum, provides exhibits and interpretive displays on the community's past. The museum also sponsors festivals and other special events.